Sweden Democrat 'set own home on fire': report

A local Sweden Democrat politician who was targeted in an alleged arson attack at her home in Södermanland south of Stockholm in late August is now suspected of having lit the fire herself.

• Sweden Democrat targeted in arson attack (30 Aug 11)

Frida Grundström, who is a member of the municipal council in Gnesta, was home alone in her apartment when the incident occurred, and the fire was extinguished quickly.

"I stood in the kitchen making pizza and had some music on. But then I heard the fire alarm and went out into the hall to see what had happened. When I came out there it was burning on the door and on the floor," Grundström told the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper at the time.

The politician, who was convinced that the attack had a political motive, claimed to have also been attacked in a similar fashion on several previous occasions, including an incident when a swastika was painted on her front door.

However, new information has led police to believe that Grundström herself may have been responsible for the attack .

Suspicions were initially aroused when the politician had thought to take a picture of the blaze before trying to put it out, wrote the Expressen newspaper.

Now, it has been confirmed that she is suspected of lighting the fire, and a public defender has been assigned to Grundström.

Meanwhile, the Sweden Democrat’s head of security, Bengt Malmberg, has spoken out about the allegations.

“This doesn’t sound right in my opinion. Of course it’s damaging to our reputation if a person is suspected of doing it themselves, but it’s unthinkable for me to do something like this,” Malmberg told the newspaper.

When asked if Grundström will remain in the party if she is convicted, Malmberg replied that such decisions were not his to make.

“It’s not me who decides. This has to be taken up in the membership committee. It’s surely an issue that’s going to be discussed though,” he told Expressen.