Blast damages Turkish cultural center in Stockholm

A blast has severely damaged a Turkish cultural center in a suburb of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, but left no casualties.

According to police, the explosion occurred around 09:30 pm (2030 GMT) on Wednesday inside the Turkish Cultural Association of Botkyrka in the Fittja district, southwest of Stockholm.

The windows were blown out, police said in a statement, confirming that no one was injured because there was nobody inside the building at the time of the explosion.

Swedish media said a bomb disposal team was at the scene, and police were investigating the cause of the incident.

On Saturday, a Kurdish man was shot by an unknown assailant on the sidelines of a pro-Kurdish rally in Fittja and seriously wounded. The gunman reportedly fled the scene.

Sweden has a population of about 170,000 Kurds who stage occasional protests against perceived government crackdown on their community in Turkey.

The blast coincided with a large explosion in the Turkish capital, Ankara, that left at least 28 people dead and 61 injured.

Back in October 2015, two large explosions rocked the Turkish capital, killing about 100 people and injuring more than 240. The deadly blasts took place near the city’s central train station where people had gathered for a political rally called by leftist groups.

Ankara has been engaged in a large-scale military campaign against Kurdish militants in its southern border region in recent months. The Turkish military is also conducting a military campaign in northern Iraq which has a sizable Kurdish population.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk