Stockholm Police yesterday arrested two people who threw a shoe and two books at Israel's ambassador to Sweden, while he was delivering an address at Stockholm University.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Benny Dagan was speaking in the afternoon about the upcoming elections in Israel, when the objects were hurled at him from the audience of 50 people.
In a famous incident last December, an Iraqi journalist hurled both shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush when he was on a farewell visit to Iraq.
When contacted by Haaretz, Dagan said he could not comment on the case since it is the subject of a police investigation. Dagan had been invited to speak by a student organization.
The two alleged perpetrators are suspected of battery or attempt of battery, police said, and were questioned by the police at Sodermalm station. The lecture continued after the attack, but was once again disturbed as Dagan was getting ready to conclude.
After the incident, Dagan said it was connected to "an atmosphere among extremists, which draws from baseless accusations against Israel, including in the media." He added: "Such incidents will not deter me from leaving the embassy to see our target audiences. Our presence is important for Israel's many friends in Sweden. Keeping us locked inside the embassy is exactly what the hecklers want."
Israel's former ambassador to Sweden, Zvi Mazel, told Haaretz that although he attended "tense discussions" in Sweden, at no point did he feel physically threatened. "This incident is a new development," he said.
