The men, who are between 20 and 24 years old, are suspected of first robbing a man and threatening his friend in central Stockholm on August 27 this year. In connection with the robbery, the man was assaulted with blows and kicks.
Just a few minutes later, the four are alleged to have subjected another man to a serious assault. The assault began with the man being punched in the back of the head without provocation, according to prosecutor Gustav Andersson.
Ruthless violence
The violence inflicted on him causes him to end up on the ground, and there he continues to be subjected to further violence against both his body and head. Due to the ruthlessness, I consider it a serious assault, says Gustav Andersson.
Three of the men later assaulted another man on the subway during the night. The man is said to have received several blows to the face, as well as blows and kicks to the body. According to the indictment, they also tried to drag the man off the subway to continue the assault.
All the acts are considered to have hate crime motives.
All four men, three from Stockholm and one from Borås, are linked to the Nazi and violence-advocating activist club movement that originated in the USA but has grown rapidly in Sweden. The men's connections are visible, among other things, in materials and symbols that the police found in their homes, according to Andersson.
Nazi greetings
On surveillance cameras, the men can be seen making Nazi greetings in connection with the violent incidents, according to Gustav Andersson.
It's in a few different places, but both before and after the serious assault, and also after the assault on the subway.
The assault on the subway was almost entirely captured on surveillance cameras, says Andersson.
The men deny the crimes and have consistently responded with "no comments" during interrogations, according to the prosecutor.
Marc Skogelin/TT
Marielle Theander Olsson/TT
Facts: Activist club
TT
The right-wing extremist so-called activist clubs are part of a larger international movement that started in the USA, outwardly focused on strength training and martial arts.
The network is inspired by the conspiracy theory of a people exchange and wants to see a strengthened "racial awareness" among whites. A warrior ideal is advocated, and members are urged to prepare for an impending racial war, according to a report from American extremist researchers in Just Security.
The concept has spread rapidly and is now present in at least 20 countries with over 100 groups globally and in most American states, according to the organization The Counter Extremism Project.
In Sweden, it gained a foothold in 2023 with the network Activist Club Sweden, which functions as an umbrella organization for local clubs.
In an intelligence report in the fall of 2023, the police warned that Activist Club Sweden "is considered to have access to weapons and explosive materials and is actively working to improve its combat capability, among other things through martial arts training", according to several media outlets.
In June, the Security Service also warned that young people are at risk of being drawn into the right-wing extremist clubs.
According to the Expo foundation's annual report for 2024, five groups from Skåne to Hälsingland are part of Activist Club Sweden. The number of activities registered by Expo increased sharply last year.
