Here, a man throws a firebomb at a social secretary’s villa in Surahammar. The motive for the attack is believed to be that social services helped a woman divorce her husband. The woman contacted the social service in Surahammar municipality in December last year. She wanted a divorce and stated that her 35-year-old husband is threatening and has said, among other things, that he will burn down their shared home. The man was called to a meeting at the social welfare office “to discuss the separation”. It ended with the social service deciding to move the woman and their child to an emergency apartment in another municipality to get away from the man. The time after that is described as a horror. Went past the house every night On several occasions the social services office window was smashed with a stone. Later, a petrol can was discovered outside the residence of another social coordinator. Every evening, a mysterious car was also seen driving past a secretary’s house, whereupon the residents decided to install surveillance cameras. “For a while they could set the clock after him, he drove by with the car every evening between a quarter to ten past ten. When asked what (the secretary) thinks about him passing by like that, she replies that it is to mark “I know where you live”, reads the police interrogation. On the night of February 11, the surveillance camera captured how the same mysterious car drove up to the social worker’s villa, how a man got out, ignited a Molotov cocktail and threw the firebomb at the home where the family was sleeping. According to the investigation, it was pure luck that the fire went out and did not spread. “Is very nauseous and scared” The police’s suspicions were directed directly at the 35-year-old man from whom the woman wanted to divorce, as the attacks on social services and staff began after that. He was charged with attempted arson and gross illegal threats against the social worker, as well as two cases of illegal threats against his ex-wife. He denies the crimes. In questioning, the social worker describes how she and her family feel bad about the incident. That she had severe nausea, is scared, anxious and reacts to all cars similar to the 35-year-old’s. – Last night I was up because I heard a car. But then I thought “no, he’s in custody,” she tells the police. The trial ends on Wednesday and the verdict is expected to come in early May.
t4-general