GOTHENBURG: The Swedish Police have arrested three people in connection with an attack on synagogue in Goteborg, hours after locals marched in the city against the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Unidentified men hurled firebombs at a synagogue in the port city of Gothenburg as it hosted an event on Saturday night.
However, the fire department extinguished the flames from the objects, which did not cause any damage to the building or cause any injuries.
“It might become a hate crime. The crime is attempted arson. But that may change during the investigation,” New York Times quoted a police spokeswoman, Ulla Brehm, as saying.
The Police Authority’s commissioner, Dan Eliasson, called the attack on the synagogue in Gothenburg "extremely serious" and said the threat level against Jewish interests in Sweden had increased since United States President Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Jewish groups condemned the attacks as “unconscionable” and demanded that authorities take action.
In a statement released on Sunday, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said, “I am outraged by the attack on the synagogue in Gothenburg yesterday and that violence against Jews was incited at a demonstration in Malmö. There is no place for anti-Semitism in Swedish society. The perpetrators must be held to account. All democratic forces must now work together to build a tolerant and open society in which everyone feels safe.”
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom condemned the attack as ‘deplorable’ and totally unacceptable and said that anti-Semitism, threats and violence have no place in society.