Man missing after an explosion in central Stockholm

'''An explosion during the early hours of Wednesday blew a big hole in a house in central Stockholm. The tenant, a 48 year old man suspected of stealing valuable books from the Royal Library, is missing. Two persons were lightly injured in the explosion.'''

The cause of the explosion is not yet known. The apartment has been searched with specially trained dogs, but nothing was found. This does not rule out the possibility of explosives, just that none of the more common ones were used, according to Swedish police. Another possibility is a gas leak.

The whereabouts of the tenant is not known. Attempts to search the apartment for a body was stopped by further collapsing of the apartment. The apartment will, in accordance with the usual police routines, be secured before a crime scene investigation can be made.

The man had been in custody for a month on charges of theft from the Royal Library in Stockholm. He is suspected of having stolen books worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and has given a partial confession. Some books were found in his apartment on a previous occasion. He was released from custody this Friday.

Claes-Göran Johansson, safety expert on Fortum, the gas provider, says that nothing indicated a gas explosion. "Normally such a large explosion would have started a fire". He also claims that such a large explosion should not be possible by accident.

The body of the 48-year old has been found in the apartment in central Stockholm.