Gothenburg
© AFP / TT News Agency / Adam IhseFILE PHOTO. Burned cars are pictured in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Some 19 cars have been torched in the northern Stockholm suburb of Marsta, while a small explosive device went off near a local barber shop. No suspects have been detained so far.

The early hours of Monday turned out to be very restless for the residents of the area, as they were woken up by at least two loud bangs which triggered a massive police and firefighter response.

It turned out an explosive device went off in front of a barber shop, heavily damaging its entrance, while cars were set alight in at least three locations across the neighborhood. Some 19 vehicles were destroyed by fire, according to local media.

Footage from the scene shows the smashed up barber shop, as well as multiple cars ablaze.

So far, police have not established a link between the car fires and the explosion, treating them as separate incidents. Officers have been going door-to-door questioning residents but no suspects have been apprehended yet.

Arson attacks on cars have plagued Sweden for a few years now, happening in sprees and making international headlines.

Such incidents have repeatedly occurred in Stockholm and its suburbs, as well as other major cities, namely Malmo and Gothenburg.

The latter saw a particularly 'hot' August in 2018 when dozens of cars as well as several buildings were torched in a series of arson attacks.

The alarming growth of crime has resulted in certain neighborhoods of major cities, including Stockholm and Malmo, becoming virtual "no-go" zones. Authorities say high crime and poverty rates created these breeding grounds for gang violence and extremism.

Malmo, in particular, has developed a reputation as a crime hotspot in Sweden, where police went even as far as declaring a "hand grenade amnesty" back in 2018, urging residents to surrender their arsenals of explosives with no legal consequences or questions.