Police suspect that a foreign gang, which has been associated with break-ins in Iceland, was following the evacuation of farms because of the volcanic eruption. Officers from Hvolsvöllur stopped suspicious individuals in the area on Tuesday night.
Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“We noticed a group of known foreign criminals, who we asked to leave the area,” Chief Constable in Hvolsvöllur Sveinn Rúnarsson told Stöd 2. “We don’t know what they were doing there but assume that they were checking out the situation.”
“These individuals have a history with the police for break-ins,” Rúnarsson added. “They explained that they had just wanted to go sight-seeing but we are keeping an eye on them […] as we are monitoring all traffic in the area.”
Around 500 people had to leave their homes on Saturday night when the eruption on Fimmvörduháls began. Most evacuees were allowed to return the following day; only residents of 14 farms closest to the eruption zone had to spend another night away from home.
Click here to read more about the evacuation and here to read about the ongoing volcanic eruption.
