Man killed by explosion outside Stockholm metro station

A man who was seriously injured by an explosion outside a metro station in Stockholm has died in hospital, according to Swedish media.

The man who was in his sixties was admitted to hospital after he picked up an object that exploded in his hands. A 45-year-old woman who was with him was slightly injured in the face.

According to a Swedish police spokesperson, the explosion occurred around 11:00 am in a square near Vårby gård station in Huddinge Commune, in the southern suburbs of the Swedish capital.

A witness who lives nearby said she heard a loud bang that shook her apartment. “I noticed people pointing to the square and I realised it must be serious. Then there came an ambulance and police who said we had to empty the ticket hall.”

A bomb squad and sniffer dog were called to the scene to collect evidence and search for more explosives.

Swedish newspapers Expressen and Aftonbladet, report that the device may have been a hand grenade. The police have said that there is no indication that the couple was the target of an attack and they have also ruled out terrorism as a motive.

Swedish authorities have been on a heightened state of alert since April when five people were killed by an Uzbek national who hijacked a lorry and drove into crowds before crashing into a department store in Stockholm. Fourteen people were also seriously injured in the attack which for which ISIL claimed responsibility