On Friday, an investigation was launched by the police in Sweden after a suspicious odor at the country’s Security Service office resulted in eight people being hospitalized with respiratory symptoms. The scene was filled with police wearing gas masks, along with numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles, as the area surrounding the office of the agency, known as Sapo, was cordoned off.
According to Patrik Soderberg, the chief physician at the local health care authority Region Stockholm, there were indications of a dangerous substance at Sapo’s offices around 1:00 p.m. Eight people displaying symptoms were subsequently treated at the hospital, as confirmed by Region Stockholm in a statement. The cause of the leak remained unclear at that time.
The police, after concluding their emergency operation, initiated an investigation into the incident, focusing on the charge of “causing bodily harm,” even though they had no suspects. They closed off an area of a few hundred meters around the building due to the possibility of a gas leak. Some of the individuals taken to the hospital were police officers who had detected an odor upon their arrival, as mentioned in a statement by the service.
Sapo spokeswoman Karin Lutz revealed that the intelligence agency had contacted emergency services after receiving an alarm. During the emergency, the building was partially evacuated, but no further details were provided and no comments were made regarding suspicions of foul play.
In a subsequent statement, Sapo declared that the emergency services had concluded their operation after confirming that there was no presence of gas inside or outside the premises. The situation caused concern as Sweden was on high alert, awaiting the final step in its bid to join NATO, with Hungary’s ratification vote scheduled for Monday.
Witnesses reported smelling a scent resembling paint, as per the Aftonbladet newspaper, and locals were advised to close their windows. There were also unconfirmed reports in Swedish media that a gas sensor on the roof of the building had detected the presence of phosgene, a gas used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I, but which is also commonly employed in industry for the production of plastics and pesticides.
