Suspected gas leak prompts evacuation of 500 people from Swedish security agency

• A suspected gas leak at Sweden’s security agency headquarters led to the evacuation of around 500 people on Friday.
• Five people experienced breathing difficulties and were hospitalized.
• Those who live near the Swedish security agency, known by its acronym SAPO, were asked to close their windows.

A suspected gas leak at the headquarters of Sweden’s security agency on Friday forced the authorities to evacuate some 500 people from the facility, Swedish broadcaster TV4 said.

Police spokesman Anders Bryngelsson told the TT news agency that emergency services decided to evacuate the entire building because of a “suspected gas leak” but did not elaborate.

Five people had breathing problems and were taken to a hospital, chief physician Patrik Söderberg at Stockholm Region, the regional hospital authority, later told TT.

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Images shared from the scene showed first responders and police officers wearing gas masks, and Swedish media reported that a zone measuring 500 meters in diameter was set up protectively.

Police officers with gas masks stand guard near the Security Police’s headquarters in Solna, Sweden, on Feb. 23, 2024. A suspected gas leak at the headquarters of Sweden’s security agency on Friday forced the authorities to evacuate some 500 people from the facility. (Fredrik Persson/TT News Agency via AP)

Neighbors near the Swedish security agency, known by its acronym SAPO, were asked to close their windows.

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The agency is headquartered in Solna, just north of Stockholm.