Suspected gunshots near Israeli embassy in Stockholm prompt police cordon

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Swedish police have cordoned off an area in Stockholm after a patrol heard suspected gunshots, they said on Friday, with the Israeli embassy located in the closed-off area.

Police declined to comment on whether there was a link between the incident and the Israeli embassy, Swedish news agency TT reported.

"A police patrol at Strandvagen in Stockholm heard bangs and suspected there had been a shooting," police said on their website shortly after midnight, adding that the affected area lay between the capital's Djurgarden Bridge, its Nobel Park and the Oscar Church.

"In connection with the ongoing forensic investigation, findings have been made that strengthen the suspicions that a shooting took place," they said.

Police said an investigation into suspected serious weapons crime had been launched and that they held several people in connection with the incident.

A prosecutor's office spokesperson later in the day said none of them remained in custody.

The Israeli embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, Stine Jacobsen, Essi Lehto; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Christian Schmollinger, William Maclean)