2014 mosque arson attacks in Sweden

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2014 mosque arson attacks in Sweden
Eslöv Uppsala Eskilstuna 2014 mosque arson attacks in Sweden (Sweden)
Location	Eslöv, Uppsala and Eskilstuna, Sweden
Date	25 December 2014[1][2]– 1 January 2015[3]
Attack type	Arson[4]
Weapons	Molotov cocktails[4]
Motive	Anti-immigration[5] Anti-Islam[5]

The 2014 Sweden mosques arson attacks were a series of incidents all of which were initially believed to be arson attacks on three mosques in Sweden, that took place during one week at the end of 2014.^[4] In the third incident, in addition to being struck by a Molotov cocktail, the mosque at Uppsala was vandalized with racist graffiti.^[4][6]

The first incident, the only one to have caused injuries, was found to have been an accident in the mosque kitchen caused by an overheated deep-fryer.^[7][8][9]

On Christmas Day, five people suffered injuries when, according to early reports, a petrol bomb had been tossed through the window of a mosque in Eskilstuna. Up to 20 people, including children, were in the mosque at the time of the attack.^[1][2] Police later said they were investigating the incident as an accident, considering it unlikely to have been a deliberate attack.^[7] It was later reported that an overheated deep-fryer was the probable cause of the fire.^[8][9]

The second event (and first indisputable arson attack) took place on 29 December in the southern Swedish town of Eslöv just after 3 am local time. No one was injured on that occasion.^[5][10]

Early on New Year's morning, there was another arson attack on a mosque, this time in Uppsala.^[3][11][12] In this attack the mosque was also vandalized with racist graffiti.^[6]

The attacks happened at a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment and political tension over Sweden's status as the leading destination in the European Union (per capita) for asylum seekers.^[13]

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said that the attacks were "hateful violence" and denounced the crime. He said that the attacks were not representative of Sweden. and that "no-one in Sweden should be afraid of practicing their religion".^{[10][citation needed]}

Samir Muric, the imam in Eslöv, told a Swedish news agency: "Unfortunately this is probably something to do with Islamophobia. I live nearby, and it’s beginning to feel unsafe."^[5]

On January 2, 2015, hundreds of anti-racist demonstrators in three major Swedish cities rallied in support of Muslims.^[14][15]

• 2003 & 2005 Malmö mosque arson attack
• 2010 & 2012 Malmö synagogue arson attack
• Arson attacks on asylum centres in Sweden