Authorities reported that Swedish police have apprehended a teenager following a shooting at a hair salon, resulting in the deaths of three youths aged between 15 and 20, amid increasing worries over gang violence in the Scandinavian country.
The incident occurred yesterday in broad daylight, just one day before the Valborg spring festival in Uppsala, a university city known for attracting over 100,000 attendees, mostly students, for bonfires and celebrations.
Police commander Erik Akerlund informed reporters this morning that “one person has been arrested on suspicion of murder,” with prosecutors stating that the suspect is 16 years old.
Reports from Swedish media indicated that at least one of the deceased had ties to a crime gang, although police have not confirmed these claims.
Uppsala serves as the base for Sweden’s two most infamous gang leaders, Ismael Abdo and Rawa Majid, both believed to be coordinating their operations from overseas.
The nation has faced ongoing challenges in controlling shootings and bombings involving rival gangs for several years.
Mr. Akerlund mentioned that several individuals “considered of interest in the investigation” have been taken in for questioning.
He noted that police secured considerable evidence and obtained camera footage from the crime scene.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer condemned the killings as “extremely serious,” while Uppsala’s mayor, Erik Pelling, expressed he was “shocked and dismayed” by the situation.
“I am also angry that this could happen,” he added.
“We are compelled to live with these crimes. I am frustrated that we have not effectively addressed this issue,” Mr. Pelling stated.
Sweden continues to grapple with gang-related shootings and bombings.
On Sunday, a mother and her young child suffered severe injuries when a homemade explosive detonated in their home; media reports indicated that a neighbor with suspected criminal ties was likely the intended target.
Earlier this month, two individuals were killed in a suspected gang altercation in Gothenburg, and a well-known rapper was fatally shot during a gang battle in the city last year.
The perpetrators are often young teenagers employed as contract killers due to being below the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden, which is 15 years.
Despite this, the number of reported gang-related deaths decreased last year.
In a country with a population of 10.6 million, there were 92 recorded homicides in 2024, 29 fewer than in 2023, representing the lowest figure since 2014, according to official statistics.
The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Bra) also reported 296 shootings, a decline of one-fifth from the previous year.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s centre-right minority government, supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats in parliament, assumed power in 2022 with a commitment to take a tough stance on crime.
Sweden was also shaken by its most severe mass shooting in February, when 35-year-old Rickard Andersson entered the Campus Risbergska adult education centre in Orebro and killed ten individuals before taking his own life.
