On August 25, two young men were found shot dead in a parked car in Kallhäll in northern Stockholm.
One of the men is said to have ties to a criminal network and was suspected of a high-profile murder in the northwestern parts of the capital in 2021, the other man – who is also suspected of having gang ties – was previously convicted of kidnapping.
A person under 18 years of age is detained for aiding and abetting the double murder.
On its peak
Just days after the double murder, two people were injured in a shooting in Viksjö, just a stone's throw from Kallhäll. And during the latter part of the summer, there have also been shootings in, among other places, Bromma, Sätra, and Upplands Väsby.
Add to that a number of explosions and the question is whether we are seeing a new wave of violence in the Stockholm area?
No, not according to Magnus Mowitz, deputy police area chief for Stockholm north.
I would rather describe it as that we constantly have a high level of possible violence. Both in Stockholm and in Sweden in general, he says.
Now we have both geographically and temporally a number of completed crimes, which makes it more on its peak. But overall, I think we see a high level of potential violence.
Magnus Mowitz does not want to confirm or deny that the recent violent acts are connected.
It's too early in the investigation phase and it can be dangerous to draw hasty conclusions. We must work broadly and we don't want to lock ourselves in any direction right now.
Revenge motive
Crimes committed in gang environments are often followed by new crimes.
We have a history where we have seen a number of serious violent crimes that follow previous crimes. Sometimes it's about revenge or a desire to exert more violence. We work carefully to look ahead in crime prevention purposes, says Mowitz.
The person who has been detained, suspected of being involved in the double murder in Kallhäll, is under 18 years of age. The fact that young people are involved in the most serious violent crimes has become a kind of everyday life in Sweden.
Those children expose themselves to great danger. Both in the actual execution and also ahead. They attract a threat from the side they attack. As a society, we must work dedicatedly with this, to prevent new recruitment, says Magnus Mowitz.
Mikael Widerberg/TT
Facts: Shootings in Stockholm in August
TT
August 7: A man is found shot outdoors in Upplands Väsby. The incident is being investigated as an attempted murder.
August 13: The police receive an alarm about a shooting in Mariehäll in Bromma in the afternoon. No one is injured. It is being investigated as an attempted murder and serious weapons offense.
August 23: A young man is shot outdoors in Sätra in southern Stockholm. A person under 15 years of age is suspected of attempted murder.
August 25: Double murder in Kallhäll, two men are found shot dead in a car in a parking lot. A person under 18 years of age is detained, suspected of aiding and abetting murder.
August 27: Two men are shot in a car in Järfälla. A third person was in the car, but escaped without injury. It is being investigated as an attempted murder and serious weapons offense.
