So far this year, up to and including November, 54 children under the age of 15 have been suspected of causing public danger, reports Sveriges Radio's Ekot. The figures come from the Swedish Prosecution Authority.
In 2024, the figure was 21 children, in 2023 17 children and between 2018 and 2022 only one child per year.
It seems that the criminals have good access to explosives, and good access to young people who can commit this type of act, says Mikaela Kym, group leader at the Norrköping police, to Ekot.
The suspects are mainly boys from all parts of the country. They are recruited in various ways, via elders who lure them into the gangs, via threats, for example that the child has a made-up debt that must be paid, or the children undertake the tasks voluntarily via social media.
Through November this year, 181 detonations occurred in Sweden, compared to 136 for all of 2024, according to police statistics.
The number of attempts or preparations for explosions so far this year is 261 compared to 188 for all of 2024.
