Just two days after two Lithuanian men were arrested in Luleå, suspected of having flown drones over the F 21 air flotilla, the summit between the EU and the US begins on Tuesday in the same city.
And the security burden is huge.
– The worst thing could be a terrorist incident or the like, says Kenneth Bergqvist, deputy commander of the police.
The transatlantic trade meeting that takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday is heavily guarded and parts of central Luleå are cordoned off. Scores of Swedish police, security guards, snipers and foreign delegates’ own security personnel are on site.
– As far as the US foreign minister is concerned, there is an extremely high level of security, it’s always there wherever he goes, explains Kenneth Bergqvist, who on a daily basis works in Härnösand but is now deputy commanding officer for police operations in Luleå.
Terrorist event the worst
The police authority does not want to go into how much force is on site in Luleå during the two days. What is clear is that you are prepared for the worst to happen.
– The worst thing could be a terrorist incident or the like, but the most likely are opinions and so on, so we have taken height for all those parts, says Bergqvist.
The US Secretary of State and the EU Commission will discuss current trade policy and technical issues. Among other things, it is about the future 6 G network, universal electric vehicle charging and the green industrial transition.
Arrested outside F 21
On Sunday, military police allegedly arrested two Lithuanian men after a drone was discovered over the air flotilla in Luleå, also called F 21, according to information to TV4 Nyheterna.
The facility is a protected object where photography is prohibited with increased security on site.
Louise Levin, the Air Force’s director of communications, confirms that the incident occurred at their location.
– That’s right, the Swedish Armed Forces have developed their ability to find drone pilots and that’s something we’ve been working on for some time. This event in Luleå is proof that we have that ability now. Then I cannot go into detail about which systems we used and how we work. The matter has now been handed over to the police. But for us it is good that we have that ability and we have shown it by having arrested these people, she says.