"It is terrible that people and whole communities are affected by unrest and insecurity in the wake of the fires. People fleeing for their lives to Sweden should know that they can feel safe here."
"This is not the Sweden I know. This is not what Sweden I am proud of," said Lofven, who called on the public to cooperate with the police in their enquiries.
The numerous fires in asylum buildings are the special focus of ongoing investigations by the Swedish police, which indicate that the fires were caused by arson attacks, reported Dagens Nyheter.
"A civilized country like Sweden cannot accept that housing centers of asylum seekers should become prey to arsonists," commented Sweden's foreign minister Margot Wallstrom on Twitter.
According to the Swedish Migration Board, the series of fires at asylum centers in recent weeks have deprived the county of at least 235 places for refugees. Since the beginning of the year, more than ten asylum centers have been targeted by arsonists in Sweden.
Endnu et asylcenter brændt i Sverige https://t.co/6GISYaukTa pic.twitter.com/nPoTT53TjW
— Berlingske (@berlingske) 20 октября 2015
An asylum center burned down in Sweden.
The latest fire broke out at the asylum center in the town of Munkedal, in western Sweden, at around 4 am on Tuesday. The 14 people inside the annex managed to escape the fire to the main building without injury, but the blaze caused serious damage to the building.
On Friday evening, a disused school in Kanna was set alight after local authorities informed residents that it was to be used as an asylum reception center, and on Saturday a school in Onsala, 40 kilometers south of Gothenburg, also went up in flames before it could be used to house refugees.
