On 15 February 1932, three people were killed and seven others wounded in an explosion at an apartment building in Gothenburg, Sweden. Investigators determined that Bernhard Johansson, whose ex-wife lived in the complex, had intentionally detonated explosives to kill her. He was found dead of self-inflicted injuries that morning.
| 1932 Gothenburg bombing | |
|---|---|
  Gothenburg Gothenburg (Sweden) | |
| Location | Vegagatan 3 Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Coordinates | 57°41′45″N 11°56′52″E / 57.69594°N 11.94789°E |
| Date | 15 February 1932 02:30 (UTC+01:00) |
Attack type | Bombing, suicide bombing, murder–suicide, attempted uxoricide |
| Weapons | Dynamite |
| Deaths | 4 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 7 |
| Perpetrator | Bernhard Johansson |
| Motive | Plan to kill ex-wife |
Background
editIn the 1920s, Bernhard Johansson married a woman named Karin, with whom he had a daughter.[1][2] Bernhard had a troubled life, serving several stints in mental institutions and prisons before his marriage.[2] She filed for divorce soon after their marriage's beginning, angering Bernhard, who sent her repeated death threats.[1] After the divorce, Johansson was convicted of assaulting several women and sentenced to psychiatric care.[1][2] He was released on 25 January 1932, and immediately continued writing threatening letters to Karin.[1] Believing that he was a threat, Karin moved to Vegagatan 3 with a couple she knew.[1][2]
Events
editPreparation
editJohansson learned where his ex-wife lived and began preparing to kill her.[1] He stole 9 kilograms (20 lb) of dynamite from a warehouse, which he gave to a 17-year-old male relative in a package.[1] On 14 February, the boy, as requested by Johansson, ascertained that Karin was inside the apartment before placing the package in the apartment building's stairwell.[1] Johansson allegedly had the package placed in the stairwell so that Karin, who slept on the kitchen sofa, would be killed in the blast.[2]
Bombings and manhunt
edit
At 2:30 a.m., the dynamite exploded, causing significant damage to the apartment building, which Byggnadsarbetaren reported was "roughly split in half."[2] Witnesses reported seeing a man run out of the building and flee by bicycle just before the detonation.[2] Three people were killed and seven others were injured.[1][2] The couple with whom Karin lived died, as well as an elderly neighbor.[1][2] Unbeknownst to Johansson, Karin had been sleeping in a different place in the apartment and had only suffered minor injuries.[2]
The local police immediately began investigating, calling a manhunt for the perpetrator, who they had quickly identified as Johansson.[1] At 8:30 a.m., police found a badly mutilated body in Slottsskogen, between the ponds Stora and Lilla Dammen.[1] The body was later identified as Johansson.[1] Coroners surmised that he had placed dynamite in his mouth and detonated it, killing himself.[1][2]
Aftermath
editThe bombing was major news in Swedish media.[1] Göteborgs-Tidningen said that "a more brutal and horrible crime should rarely or never have been committed in our country."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Lindsten, Björn (8 October 2016). "Nio Kilo Dynamit: Hämnden på exfrun – Bernhard sprängde tio i luften" [Revenge on the ex-wife: Blowed up ten]. Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Löfgren, Ann-Sofi (17 September 2020). "Stal dynamit – sprängde huset mitt itu" [Stole dynamite - blew the house apart]. Byggnadsarbetaren (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 February 2024.