Alexandra Enberg
23 March 2023•Update: 23 March 2023
IZMIR, Türkiye
Police in Solna, Sweden arrested a man in his 60s who had entered Friends Arena where the Swedish national football team was training and was behaving suspiciously.
The man was said to be carrying bags containing potentially dangerous items and used threatening language, saying he had a bomb with him, according to the Aftonbladet newspaper.
The man managed to venture quite far into the arena even though he wasn’t supposed to be there. He was spotted and the police were called.
“He said things that made us react,” said police press spokesman Daniel Wikdahl.
The police have launched a preliminary investigation into the gross unlawful threats and preparations for destruction causing public endangerment.
The arrested man is already known to the police. Among other things, he has been convicted of violent crimes against public servants and unlawful entry.
“I was told he said he had brought things that could cause chaos,” said Martin Fredman, the security manager of the Swedish Football Association.
Asked if there might have been a bomb in the bag left behind, Fredman told the daily “that is what we suspect he wanted us to believe.”
Journalists at the arena were advised not to leave "for your own safety." A planned event with national team players was also postponed until further notice.
"We were told at the end of training that something had happened. We did what we usually do after practice. The guys stretched, showered and ate, so it was pretty undramatic, even if there was drama in terms of what was happening. We trust those who work with this," the team’s coach, Janne Andersson, told Aftonbladet.
