Journalist injured in suspected bomb attack

A journalist employed by Sweden’s TV4 was taken to hospital early Wednesday morning following a powerful explosion at the door of her Stockholm apartment.

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Police believe the bombing was a deliberate attack against the journalist, and have launched an investigation into attempted murder, according to several media reports.

“We can confirm that the victim is a TV4-journalist. The person is doing well considering the circumstances, but is naturally quite shocked,” said TV4 spokesperson Gunnar Gidefeldt to the TV4 news website nyhetskanalen.se.

The explosion, which occurred shortly before 4am, blew up the door of the woman’s second storey apartment on Fatburskvarnsgatan on the island of Södermalm.

The blast also caused a fire to break out in the apartment, filling the building’s stairwell with smoke, and forcing the TV4 journalist to escape through a window. No other residents in the building were injured, however.

Gidefeldt told the Aftonbladet newspaper, there were no known threats against the woman.

“No. There is nothing as far as we know, but that is one aspect of the police’s work, so it’s foolish to speculate,” he said.

Police have begun a preliminary investigation into attempted murder, despite lingering uncertainty whether the explosion was directed specifically at the TV4 journalist.

“The explosive was so powerful that we can’t rule out that she could have been injured or killed by it,” said interim police commissioner Anders Bjäregård to nyhetskanalen.se

“We’re going to interview residents in the building as well as look into her background to see if there is any motive behind the act.”