by David A. Williams
COPENHAGEN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Two mysterious explosions in different parts of the Danish Capital, in less than a week has left ordinary Danes unruffled. Those who are aware of the news seem to have taken it in their stride rather than resorting to xenophobic accusations.
The Oesterbro district of Copenhagen is renowned for its quiet normality, and a significant population of young professional couples with children. An area hosting many embassies -- including the American, British and Russian Embassies in close proximity to one another -- had an unwelcome visitor.
Last Tuesday, at 22:15, the silence of the night was broken by a major blast. A bomb exploded outside Skattestyrelsen, the Danish Tax Authority.
Local inhabitants were stunned the following Wednesday morning to wake-up to a large crater in front of the damaged Tax building.
Despite the severity of the damage, there was only one injury. A passerby received minor cuts caused by fragments from the blast. Two people in the building at the time miraculously escaped uninjured.
Three days before that, another tremendous explosion racks the normally tranquil Scandinavian city.
Early Saturday morning, a powerful explosion damages an unoccupied police station in the Noerrebro district of the city. An adjacent building also suffers damage.
The 03:15 a.m. blast generated such a powerful pressure wave that 200 nearby windows, including cars' windscreens, were smashed by the explosive force. There were no reported injuries.
Noerrebro is an area with a significant Muslim population and drug gang associations.
Police quickly determined that military explosives were used in the bombing. Despite media speculation that the blast could have been either an act of terror or part of a drug gang war, no leads currently exist.
At an early morning press conference this Wednesday, a police spokesman firmly stated that there was no immediate connection between the earlier Tuesday explosion and the latter Saturday Noerrebro blast.
So far, Copenhagen Police have arrested one Swedish national in connection with Tuesday's explosion. No arrests have been reported for the Saturday blast.
So far in 2019, there have been 9 bomb explosions in Copenhagen. The Swedish and Danish media speculate that they could be part of a new type of criminal gang war.
The new Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup (S) calls the many explosions "an attack on our security".
Peter Skaarup of the opposition Danish peoples party (DF), a party known for an anti-immigrant stance, has demanded an "increase in monitoring".
However many Copenhageners in the center of the city remain nonchalant or even unaware of the two recent explosions.
Web designer Jesper Toftgaard summed up the general attitude.
"I live on Istedgade (in Vesterbro District). The bombs went off in Oesterbro and Noerrebro so it doesn't concern me."
