Sweden helicopter theft suspects were arrested on Saturday evening after allegedly trying to steal an exhibition helicopter from Säve, on Hisingen in Gothenburg, during an aviation weekend. The helicopter, which was placed on a trailer and connected to a car, was damaged after the vehicle crashed shortly after leaving the site.
Three men arrested after attempted helicopter theft
Swedish police were alerted on Saturday evening after witnesses reported seeing three men take a car with a trailer attached. On the trailer was a helicopter intended for use during a flying event at Säve, north of central Gothenburg.
The attempted theft ended after a short distance, the vehicle crashed into a structure in the area. The three men then fled into nearby woodland before officers arrived.
Police later arrested all three suspects. They are suspected of attempted aggravated theft, criminal damage and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
The Säve helicopter was part of an aviation weekend
The helicopter was connected to Aeroseum, an aviation museum and event site located at the former Säve airfield. SVT reported that the aircraft was one of the Swedish Armed Forces’ older helicopters and was being used as an exhibition helicopter during the aviation weekend.
According to Aeroseum’s chief executive Tina Dejby, the helicopter’s right tank was damaged during the attempted theft. She told SVT that the helicopter is normally brought out once a year for the event.
The organiser also said the three men had earlier been asked to leave the area because they were intoxicated.
A rare incident at a public aviation event
The suspects did not manage to move the helicopter far from the area. Sveriges Radio reported that several people followed the vehicle and alerted police, while officers later searched for the men for several hours before arresting them.
No injuries were reported in the initial accounts. The case is now being handled as a criminal investigation.
The attempted theft is an unusual security episode for a public aviation event in western Sweden. It also raises practical questions for museums and organisers that display large vehicles or aircraft in open event settings, especially when they are not operational but can still be moved on trailers.
