Two Armored Vehicles Hijacked From Swedish Military

By Staff, Agencies

Two armored military vehicles have disappeared from one of the Swedish Armed Forces' warehouses in Enkoping, national broadcaster SVT reported. A national alarm has been issued to find them.

Both of the hijacked trucks are Terrangbil 16s, also known as Galten [“Boar”], and are considered state-of-the-art. The four-wheel drive vehicle is mainly used to transport troops. At SEK 2 million [$210,000] apiece, the vehicles can also be equipped with several types of assault weapons and a grenade launcher. No ammunition, explosives or any weapons were reportedly kept in the trucks at the time of the theft.

“This is serious and unusual, to steal this type of vehicle”, Defense press secretary Jesper Tengroth told SVT.

According to the Armed Forces, the theft must have happened sometime between 4-5 February.

“A foreign power can benefit from them if there is sensitive equipment. Otherwise, they can be used, for instance, in robberies. These are armored vehicles and there are few weapons that can stop them,” writer and military expert Lars Wilderang told SVT.

Due to the national alert, the police and all other authorities have been informed of the incident, which has been classified as gross theft.

“These are very valuable vehicles that the Armed Forces want back. A national alarm is like a priority call that goes out to all police regions and other authorities, such as customs,” police spokesman Jonas Eronen explained.

Following the national alert, one of the vehicles was found in the residential area of Tillberga outside the city of Vasteras. No arrests have been made so far.