Two men arrested in Sweden on suspicion of preparing assault at justice ministers rally

Two men in their 40s were arrested in connection with a campaign event for Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer in central Gothenburg on Thursday evening, police confirmed.

The incident occurred around 9 p.m. at Drottningtorget, where Strömmer and local Moderate Party politicians were holding a rally ahead of a planned policy announcement on Friday. Police took the two men into custody, and they were later detained on suspicion of preparing to commit aggravated assault, according to Linda Widmark of the Prosecution Authority’s press service .

Johan Håkansson, a police spokesperson for the West Region, described the situation as “completely undramatic” and emphasized that no one was injured. “The important thing is that no one was harmed in this incident,” Håkansson said . Police declined to provide further details, citing the need to preserve the integrity of the investigation. “We have chosen not to give any further details at this early stage to give the prosecutor the best possible conditions to investigate what actually happened,” Håkansson added .

The Swedish Security Service, Säpo, is collaborating with police on the case but has declined to comment, according to the TT news agency . Strömmer’s press secretary, Caroline Opsahl, confirmed the minister was aware of the arrests but was unharmed. “We are informed that police arrested two people in connection with a campaign last night in central Gothenburg. Strömmer is fine. As the police have said, it was calm on the scene. This is a matter for the police, so we refer to them for further details,” Opsahl wrote to Expressen .

Police also confirmed that the arrests were linked to a suspected offense targeting the minister. Johan Josarp, the duty officer for the West Region, told Göteborgs-Posten that Strömmer was unharmed and that there was no ongoing threat to the public . The two men were detained overnight, but authorities have not disclosed additional information about their identities or the specific circumstances leading to their arrest.

Strömmer was in Gothenburg alongside Axel Josefsson, the city’s Moderate Party councilor, as part of the campaign activities. The event was part of the party’s broader efforts ahead of the minister’s scheduled policy announcement on Friday.