Dozens of cars set alight in 'co-ordinated attack' in Sweden

Dozens of cars were set alight in Sweden overnight. Pic/AFP

Masked youths torched dozens of cars overnight in Sweden and threw rocks at police, prompting an angry response from the prime minister, who denounced an "extremely organised" night of vandalism.

Police spokesman Hans Lippens said that initial reports indicate that about 80 cars were set ablaze overnight, chiefly in Sweden's second largest city, Goteborg, and nearby Trollhattan, an industrial city.

Fires were also reported on a smaller scale in Malmo, Sweden's third largest city. In Trollhattan, northeast of Goteborg, where at least six cars were burned, rocks were also thrown at police and roads were blocked. Lippens said that because the fires started within a short period of time, "we cannot exclude that there is a connection between the blazes."

Photos posted by a Swedish tabloid showed black-clad men torching cars on a parking lot near Goteborg. Sweden's news agency TT said witnesses had seen "masked youngsters" running away. Lippens said several youths that police met at the scene have been identified.

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