Arson suspected in Swedish mosque fire

A fire broke out at a mosque in the southern Swedish town of Eslov in the early hours of Monday, but was quickly extinguished by firefighters. The fire caused minor damage and no injuries were reported, a statement released by police said.

"We ... are working under the assumption it is arson," police officer Marie Keismar was quoted by the TT news agency as saying.

The incident comes just days after a fire at a mosque in the town of Eskilstuna, in which five people were injured. Police are also treating that fire as a case of arson.

Immigration debate

The two fires come amid an intense political debate over Sweden's refugee-friendly asylum laws.

The far right Sweden Democrats, who finished third in the September general election, had threatened to turn snap polls that Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Lofven had called for March 22 into a referendum on immigration.

However, days after calling the election, Lofven announced that he had reached a deal with the opposition center-right Alliance bloc to sideline the Sweden Democrats through the next parliament of 2018-22, thus averting the need for an election. Lofven had called the snap vote after the opposition voted down his government's proposed budget.

All of the mainstream parties have refused to work with the Sweden Democrats, but a major influx of immigrants has moved the issue higher up the country's political agenda. With a population of 9.5 million, Sweden is expected to receive a total of 100,000 asylum seekers in 2014.

pfd/se (AFP, dpa, Reuters)