Sweden police investigate shooting near Israeli target, no injuries reported

Sweden police investigate shooting near Israeli target, no injuries reported

Swedish police said on Thursday they were investigating a shooting near an Israeli target in the city of Gothenburg, which the national broadcaster said was a unit of Israeli defence electronics firm Elbit Systems.

Police said in a statement it had apprehended a young suspect at the scene and launched a probe into suspected attempted murder and serious weapons crime.

They did not identify the company but Elbit Systems Sweden CEO Tobias Wennberg told Reuters there had been a serious incident outside its premises on Thursday, adding that no one was injured in the incident.

"Elbit Systems Sweden otherwise has no knowledge of the incident. Our operations continue as usual," he said in an email.

A police spokesperson said there was only one suspect so far and investigators were not aware of any concrete threats against other Israeli targets in the city on Sweden's west coast.

The suspect is under 15 years of age, public broadcaster SVT and other Swedish media reported, without identifying their sources.

The Israeli embassy in Stockholm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Swedish police in May said they had stepped up security around Israeli and Jewish interests in the Nordic country after officers on patrol heard suspected gunshots near Israel's embassy in Stockholm.

Sweden has seen an epidemic of gun violence in recent years, driven by criminal gangs feuding over drugs and other illicit activities.