President Donald Trump was blasted by Sweden and the world after he referenced a non-existent terror threat in the European nation Saturday while addressing a crowd of supporters in Florida. But days after his remarks, police in the Rinkeby district in Stockholm were confronted with protesters Monday night who set cars on fire, threw stones and looted local stores. At least one police officer was injured and seven cars were burned during the riots, the Associated Press reported.
Rinkeby is known for its high concentration of immigrants in the Stockholm area. It also saw violent unrest in 2013, including fires and protesters throwing rocks at police. In 2015, it was declared a “particularly vulnerable” zone by local police.
It was not immediately known how many people were involved in the disturbance or what their motive was. Police at one point opened fire at those gathered.
“But nobody has been found injured at the scene and we have checked the hospitals and there hasn’t been anyone with what could be gunshot wounds,” police spokesperson Lars Byström told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. “This kind of situation doesn’t happen that often but it is always regrettable when they happen.”
It was not immediately clear what Trump was talking about when he singled out Sweden during his remarks. The nation has a record of embracing refugees, but also enjoys low crime.
“We’ve got to keep our country safe,” Trump said during his speech. “You look at what’s happening in Germany. You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible. You look at what’s happening in Brussels. You look at what’s happening all over the world. Take a look at Nice. Take a look at Paris.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters Sunday the president was “talking about rising crime and recent incidents in general and not referring to a specific incident.”
But Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister, alluded that Trump was not well.
“Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking?” Bildt tweeted. “Questions abound.”
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