[7][8][9] On Christmas Day, five people suffered injuries when, according to early reports, a petrol bomb had been tossed through the window of a mosque in Eskilstuna.

[8][9] The second event (and first indisputable arson attack) took place on 29 December in the southern Swedish town of Eslöv just after 3 am local time.

[6] The attacks happened at a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment and political tension over Sweden's status as the leading destination in the European Union (per capita) for asylum seekers.

[10][citation needed] Samir Muric, the imam in Eslöv, told a Swedish news agency: "Unfortunately this is probably something to do with Islamophobia.

"[5] On January 2, 2015, hundreds of anti-racist demonstrators in three major Swedish cities rallied in support of Muslims.