British serviceman on military drill in Sweden is found dead after a night out in Stockholm
Murder investigation launched after British soldier, 25, on military exercise in Sweden is found dead after a night out in Stockholm – with four arrests
- The 25-year-old man had been out for a night with another British soldier
- He was part of the Aurora 23 defense exercises from April 17 to May 11
- His comrade and three Swedes have been arrested on suspicion of murder
Four people have been arrested as part of a murder investigation after a British soldier was found dead during a military exercise in Sweden after a night out in Stockholm.
The 25-year-old man was aboard HMS Albion for the defense exercise Aurora 23 in Sweden, which took place between April 17 and May 11.
He had been out on a night out with another member of the armed forces before ending up with several Swedes at a house in Solna, northwest of Stockholm’s city center, where the Briton was later found dead, according to the Swedish publication. To express.
A Defense Ministry spokesperson told MailOnline: “We are aware of an incident in Stockholm and we are assisting local authorities in their investigation. It would be inappropriate to comment further.’
In the early stages of the murder investigation, Swedish police arrested four people on suspicion of murder, including the British soldier he was traveling with.
The 25-year-old man was in Sweden on the ship HMS Albion (pictured) for the defense exercise Aurora 23, which took place between April 17 and May 11.
A British soldier on HMS Albion describes the military exercises taking place in Sweden
Three Swedish citizens, all in their 20s and 30s, are the others arrested.
At this stage, Swedish authorities are not commenting on any further details about what happened on the night in question – which comes just days after Aurora 23 ended.
The purpose of the training exercise Aurora 23 was to increase the ability to withstand an armed attack on Sweden.
The Swedish Armed Forces said Aurora 23 was the largest national exercise of its kind in more than 30 years. The RAF and the British Army were also involved in the exercises.
The three-week exercise involved more than 26,000 people from the Swedish Army, Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force, Home Guard and military personnel from 14 other countries.
HMS Albion, one of the Royal Navy’s two amphibious assault ships, arrived in Sweden in March, fresh from training exercises known as Joint Viking 23 in Norway.
Prior to the final voyage to Sweden, Captain Marcus Hember, commanding officer of HMS Albion, said: ‘The final period of operations from Albion and the Littoral Response Group took us north to Arctic Norway, where we took part in a major Joint Expeditionary Force exercise.
The purpose of the training exercise Aurora 23 was to increase the ability to withstand an armed attack on Sweden. Pictured: Inside HMS Albion
Andy Osborn speaks during a tour of HMS Albion – one of the Royal Navy’s two amphibious assault ships
Pictured: HMS Albion docked in Stockholm last month ahead of Aurora 23 exercises
Our next period of operations will take us to the Baltic, where we will once again practice with allies and partners and demonstrate the UK’s and Royal Navy’s commitment to Northern European security.
‘Albion has embarked marines and a wide range of equipment from 45 Commando and from the entire British Commando Forces enterprise.
“We look forward to going out again and demonstrating our commitment to safety during this difficult time.”