Sweden, a nation of 10 million, has seen unrest, clashes, arson and violence since Thursday, in which some police and protesters were injured.  It was triggered by the meetings of Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan and the planned burning of the Koran throughout the country.
“We suspect those involved (in the riots) have links to criminal gangs,” National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg told a news conference Monday, adding that some of these “criminals” were known to police.  “I was in contact with the prosecutor to prosecute these people.”
Sweden’s National Police Commander Jonas Hysing said Monday that 26 police officers and 14 people – protesters or others – were injured in the riots and that 20 police vehicles were damaged or damaged.
The latest riots erupted Sunday night in Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, as an angry mob of mostly young people set fire to car tires, rubbish and rubbish bins in the Rosengard area.  Protesters hurled stones and police responded with tear gas.  A school and several cars were set on fire, but the situation calmed down in the early hours of Monday.
A total of 11 people were arrested and three were arrested in Malm..  No serious injuries were reported.
As of Thursday, in addition to Malm., Riots, riots and violent clashes have been reported in Stockholm, central Orebro, the eastern cities of Linkoping and Norrkoping and the southern city of Landskrona.
Police were forced to use weapons in self-defense, Hysing said.  Three people were injured in Norrkoping on Sunday as they were hit by a fountain as police fired warning shots at a crowd of protesters.
“There are many indications that police were the target,” Hissing said, adding that some protesters were suspected of attempted murder, aggravated assault and violence against an official.
Both Thornberg and Hysing stressed that the main target for the rioters was the Swedish police and society, not Paludan – whom many Swedes see as merely a provocateur of agents – and the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party. which is an anti-immigrant, anti-Islamic agenda.
Thornberg, Sweden’s top police chief, said “criminals” who took advantage of the situation with Paludan’s Easter tour of Sweden and took part in the riots were the main suspects in the violent outbreak.  The unrest escalated rapidly after the first demonstrations by Palundan, which were met by protesters in many places last week.
“We have to put an end to this early. What we are seeing here is a very serious crime,” Thornberg said, referring to the riots.
Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said Monday that he still has great confidence in Swedish police despite the unrest at the weekend and promised more resources to law enforcement.
“When you end up in these critical and aggressive situations, the police can do nothing but fight hard,” Johansson told Swedish news agencies.  “We can not accept that the perpetrators are committing this kind of violence.”
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Sweden’s envoy for the planned firing of the Koran of Paludan, saying such an action could seriously jeopardize Sweden’s relations with the Muslim world.
In Iran, dozens of students gathered at the Swedish embassy on Monday to protest Paludan’s planned burning of the Koran.  Shouting “Those who insult the Qur’an must be condemned!”  They also repeated traditional slogans such as “Death to America!”  and “Death to Israel!”
Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed to this article.