Hannah Timpe
News Editor

On Dec. 12  Sweden experienced its first terror attack in over 30 years.  “A 28 year-old father of two set off pipe bombs and shiver bombs in Stockholm’s shopping district along Queens Street,” said senior David Bezenar as his own explanation of the event.

This attack is thought to be brought on by Sweden’s involvement in the war in Afghanistan and Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist’s, drawings of the Prophet Muhammad.  Sweden has 500 soldiers within NATO’s U.S.-led International Security Assistance force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Senior Charlie Bennett said that, “any country can be a target if there is a group of people upset with the way the government is handling foreign and domestic affairs.”

Tragedy was averted because only one of the six pipe bombs actually exploded.  “It could have killed up to several hundred people and caused [many] injuries,” explained weapons expert at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Bo Janzon.  Bomb expert at the Swedish Armed Forces Henric Ostmark said that “the pipe-bombs, most likely, were not correctly connected.”

Because only one of the six pipe bombs went off the bomber was the only person killed and just two bystanders were sent to the emergency room with injuries.

The prime minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt, said the attacks were unacceptable in Sweden’s “open society that respects different cultures.”  At a press conference Reinfeldt said, “our democracy functions well.  Those who feel frustration or anger have the opportunity to express it without resorting to violence.”