Country to keep location of refugee shelters secret to avert arson

The Swedish Migration Agency on Wednesday said it would no longer publish the addresses of new refugee reception centres after a rise in suspected arson attacks targeting such buildings.

The Migration Agency's Accommodation Unit, Willis Aberg, told newsmen that the security situation has deteriorated and the many fires were a concern.

"We try to be an open agency but at present we believe that it is better to classify details to reduce the threats,’’ he added.

Since March, no fewer than 20 fires have been reported at current or planned refugee shelters.

Most of the incidents were being investigated as suspected arson.

One involved a former kindergarten in the wealthy Stockholm suburb of Danderyd, but a security guard was quickly able to extinguish the fire.

The municipality had on Tuesday said the former kindergarten would temporarily house 70 asylum seekers.

Danderyd Municipal Councillor, Olle Reichenberg, said that a new security assessment would be made, while they still intended to open the planned shelter.

A stone and a bottle with flammable liquid was on Tuesday thrown into a planned reception centre in Faringtofta, southern Sweden, but emergency services put out the fire.

Meanwhile, Swedish authorities estimated that up to 190,000 people could apply for asylum this year, creating a shortage of housing.