3 Ikea stores hit by explosions

European police say they are investigating the possibility that explosions Monday at three Ikea stores in the Netherlands, Belgium and France are connected. The first blast occurred at an Ikea store in Ghent, Belgium, when two alarm clocks exploded in a warehouse following a warning, the Swedish news agency TT reported Tuesday. Later in the day, police in the Netherlands evacuated an Ikea store in Eindhoven before a refuse bin exploded. A third blast occurred at an Ikea store near Lille in northern France. There were no injuries as a result of any of the explosions. A Belgian newspaper reported that the explosives used at all three locations were identical. The Swedish furniture store was the target of a 2009 bomb attack in Amsterdam. A woman was later arrested in connection with that incident.