By Mia Shanley
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two explosions killed a man and injured two other people in a busy shopping area in central Stockholm on Saturday, police said.
The Swedish news agency TT said it had received an email warning with a threat to Sweden and its people ahead of the explosions. It said the threat was linked to Sweden's presence in Afghanistan, where it has a force of 500 soldiers, mainly in the north.
TT said the warning, which was also sent to Sweden's Security Police (SAPO), was received 10 minutes before the blasts, and also referred to caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed by Swedish artist Lars Vilks.
The email had sound files in Swedish and Arabic.
"Our actions will speak for themselves, as long as you do not end your war against Islam and humiliation of the Prophet and your stupid support for the pig Vilks," TT quoted a man as saying in one of the sound files.
Police spokeswoman Petra Sjolander said the first explosion had been in a car containing gas canisters. The dead man was found at the site of the second blast about 300 metres away.
It was not immediately clear precisely what caused the blasts and investigators and emergency services were at the scene. Witnesses said a bomb disposal robot was being used.
Media reported scenes of panic among teeming Christmas shoppers, with people fleeing amid smoke and the smell of explosives.
(Writing by Peter Millership; Editing by Kevin Liffey)