Suspected arson attack destroys refugee home in Sweden

A suspected arson attack in Sweden has burned to the ground a shelter that was supposed to house refugees, in a string of arson cases targeting an influx of asylum seekers into Europe.

The fire, which police said may have been started deliberately, targeted the planned shelter on Saturday on the outskirts of the town of Floda in southwest Sweden.

"Several buildings were burnt, including one which witnesses say has been destroyed completely," police said in a statement.

The police added that the cause of the blaze is still unclear, “but as there are reasons to suspect it may have been started deliberately, a preliminary arson inquiry has been opened.”

No one has been wounded in the suspected attack and police have not made any arrests yet.

In late October, a similar attack was carried out in the city of Eskilstuna, about 90 kilometers (50 miles) west of the capital, Stockholm.

The incident follows about a dozen confirmed or suspected cases of arson since the beginning of this year as over 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the Scandinavian country of 9.8 million so far, while a total of 190,000 are expected for 2015.

On November 5, the Swedish government said the country has run out of capacity to host the refugees and new arrivals may not be provided with any shelter.

"We are in a tense situation and we are dependent on the opening of new lodgings. It is incredibly hard when they are destroyed by a fire," said migration agency spokeswoman Johanna Uhr.

Europe is facing record refugee arrivals. While a few European leaders support an open-door refugee policy, others are in favor of controlling the EU’s external borders, deporting more people and paying third countries to host the asylum seekers.

Most of the refugees are fleeing conflict-hit zones in the Middle East and Africa, particularly Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

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