The bin exploded at Ülemiste shopping center, in Tallinn, which prompted the evacuation of the mall at around 7 p.m on Saturday. One employee was injured and required hospital treatment.

At a press conference on Sunday, State Prosecutor General Astrid Asi said a 60-year-old man living in Tallinn had been detained.

"There is reason to believe that the motive for the act was personal revenge and stemmed from a previous connection with the same shopping center. There was a desire to cause damage to the shopping center," she told the media.

Asi said the suspect is not an Estonian citizen and is a stateless person, and has been punished repeatedly under criminal law. The man is currently being questioned by the authorities.

The explosive device was homemade, she added.

Director General of the Internal Security Service Margo Palloson said that by Saturday evening, the suspect had been identified and his motive established. He said the threat to the public has been "neutralized".

"There is no indication that this was related to terrorism, extremism, or that it was directed from a foreign state," Palloson said.

Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) Egert Belitšev told the press conference that despite the suspect having been detained, the police have increased patrols to raise the sense of security.

Increased patrols

Belitšev said on Sunday morning that an explosion the weekend before Christmas "understandably causes fear and confusion for many".

"To maintain the sense of security among the Estonian public, we have decided to increase our presence and visibility in crowded places during the holiday period. Based on the current information, we can say there is no reason for people to change their behavior," he said in a statement.

The police have contacted shopping centers and their security services across Estonia and issued them with behavioral guidelines.

The PPA said if anyone notices anything suspicious, such as an abandoned item or a person behaving strangely, report it by calling 112.

Rescue Board experts inspected all of the Ülemiste shopping center's trash bins during the night and confirmed that no other devices were found. No additional threat was identified.

On Sunday morning, the ISS called the incident an "isolated incident" and ruled out a terrorist threat, based on the preliminary evidence.

"At the moment, nothing indicates that this is a case related to terrorism or extremism. The threat level has not been raised, and current evidence points to an isolated incident," Palloson said.

Tiia Nõmm, head of marketing and corporate social responsibility at the Ülemiste shopping center, said that the explosion was a surprise to everyone.

"The safety of our visitors and employees is always our top priority. We are working closely with investigative authorities to support the ongoing investigation. Until it is concluded, we cannot comment on the details of the incident. We wish the injured person a speedy recovery," she said.

"The Police and Border Guard Board has confirmed to us that there is no security threat and the center can be reopened to visitors. We have reviewed our security procedures and increased the number of security personnel at the center to ensure the safety of all visitors and employees. We can confirm that Ülemiste mall is safe and visitors are welcome to come shop," Nõmm added.

The investigation is being led by the Northern District Prosecutor's Office and carried out by the Estonian Internal Security Service.

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