A teenager has been taken into custody by Swedish police following Tuesday’s deadly quadruple shooting in Uppsala.
After the incident in a hair salon in the heart of the city, the shooter allegedly left on a scooter, starting a manhunt.
On Wednesday, authorities verified that the individual detained in connection with the shooting is younger than eighteen.
Swedish police told a news conference that all three victims were between the ages of 15 and 20. However, Erik Åkerlund, the region’s chief of police, stated that their identities have not been “100%” established.
According to Swedish media, police are looking into the possibility that gang crime may have contributed to the killings.
According to local media, the authorities are aware of one of the victims of the hair salon murder.
According to the allegations, the victim was part of a police probe into a planned attack against a family member of gang leader Ismail Abdo. The individual was never prosecuted.
Abdo, also known as “the strawberry” or “jordgubben,” is a well-known gang leader.
Following the murder of Abdo’s mother in 2023 at her home in Uppsala, north of Stockholm, a new and bloody chapter in Sweden’s gang conflicts began.
Teenage gang crime has increased in Sweden in recent years, and individuals have been charged with anything from murder to vandalism.
In an effort to address the issue, the Swedish government has put out new laws that would permit police to wiretap minors under the age of fifteen.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer hinted that police would not require hard proof to carry out the wiretaps during a prearranged press conference on gang violence on Wednesday.
According to Swedish media, Strömmer has stated that the steps are required to prevent the recruitment of youngsters as young as ten and eleven to gangs, even though he has acknowledged that the ideas represent a significant invasion of privacy.
Additionally, the government has stated its intention to strengthen the nation’s weapons regulations.
Large numbers are anticipated to pour onto the streets of Uppsala, a university town north of Stockholm, on the eve of the Walpurgis spring festival.
University students congregate in the city, which is known as Valborg in Sweden, for raft races on the river, champagne breakfasts, and herring lunches.
On Wednesday night, there will be a massive bonfire on the city’s outskirts.
Swedes who are planning to travel to Uppsala for its yearly Valborg spring festival festivities, which are well-liked by students, should not alter their plans, according to Åsa Larsson, the local police head for Uppsala and Knivsta.
Visitors were advised to get in touch with the police, nevertheless, if they noticed anything that worried them.
Although there were “no guarantees” that such violence could be prevented, she added that there will be a significant police presence around Uppsala in the days ahead.
A sizable area next to the hair salon was roped off by police after the gunshot.
“It all occurred so quickly. A witness told Swedish channel TV4 that “it just went bang, bang, bang.”
Another man reported hearing “two bangs that sounded a bit like fireworks” outside on the street as he was cooking at home.
He confessed to being “very surprised and scared” to Swedish television, and soon after, “swarms of police and ambulances” began closing off the street and ordering people to retreat.
