Criminal investigation initiated after explosion near Gothenburg airport

An explosion near the airport of Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city, on early Friday morning has sparked criminal investigation, reported Swedish news SVT.

The explosion set several cars ablaze and police are investigating possible ties to organized crime and a suspected attempted murder.

Residents in Landvetter heard a loud bang around 7 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Friday.

Hans Carlberg, a resident whose car was damaged in the blaze, told SVT that he was at home when he heard a loud bang. He ran straight to the garage to check on his car and found it upside down.

"I just thought 'No'. We picked it up from the workshop yesterday after a massive service. And now it's lying there totally destroyed," Carlberg said.

According to police, there was a risk that the fire could spread to the garage next to the cars. Emergency services arrived shortly thereafter to stop the blaze from spreading.

Shortly after 8 a.m. local time, police cordoned off the area so that an investigation could commence.

The national bomb squad was dispatched to the scene, but at the time of writing, police could not yet reveal what had caused the detonation.

A preliminary investigation has been initiated regarding the general destruction and a suspected murder attempt, according to SVT.

Police did not reveal the identity of the owner of the car targeted by the explosion.

"I can't say anything other than that we are investigating the possible threat posed by this situation. We can see links to organized criminal activities," Anna Goransson, press officer with the local police, told SVT.

Police have seized two of the cars destroyed in the blast and moved them to another location for forensic investigation.