Arsonists target Muslim children's school in central Sweden

The assailants were captured on CCTV as they smashed the school's windows and threw flammable materials inside.

2 min read

15 March, 2021

Repair works on the school are expected to last several weeks [Getty/ Archive]

A Muslim children's school in central Sweden was attacked by masked men on Monday who attempted to set fire to the building, according to local media reports.

Alsalamskolan School principle, Hussein Aldoaudi, told Swedish state broadcaster SVT that the attack on the school in Orebro province was captured on CCTV.

"In the footage, two masked men break windows on the lower floor of the school and throw flammable materials inside," Aldaoudi said.

"Because it was early in the morning, our only consolation was that no one was in the school," he added.

Aldaoudi said parts of the school, including its preschool department, will remain closed for refurbishment. The repair works are expected to last several weeks.

Despite works and safety checks ongoing, Aldaoudi said the school's pupils will return as normal on Monday.

Police have opened an investigation into the attack.

Anti-Muslim sentiment in Sweden has risen to prominence in recent years, with far-right movements and political parties gaining ground on anti-immigration platforms.

In its 2018 parliamentary elections, the Scandinavian country saw the far-right Sweden Democrats Party, once shunned for historical links to neo-Nazis, rise to become the third-largest party in parliament.

Last year, far-right groups in both Sweden and neighbouring Denmark staged public Quran burning events which ended in clashes with police and rioting.

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