Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says the number of gun attacks in the country is decreasing, but warned “it is not over yet”, after a series of recent deadly incidents. Concern is growing in the Nordic nation over the number of shootings and gang attacks it has seen in recent years, and the government has announced it is planning to tighten gun laws, as per BBC News.
Speaking to Euronews on the sidelines of the European People’s Party (EPP) congress in Valencia, Kristersson said: “For the last 10 years, we have had a lot of gang-related shootings in Sweden,” adding that he had made “enormous efforts to increase the police’s capabilities to find them, stop them and to use all different methods to detect them before they commit their crimes”. But he also warned the outlet that while the number of shootings was coming down, it was not over yet.
It comes after a shooting incident on Tuesday in the east-central city of Uppsala in which three people were killed.
The incident reportedly unfolded at a hairdresser’s, with police confirming the victims were aged between 15 and 20.
Police commander Erik Akerlund told reporters Wednesday that one person has been arrested on suspicion of murder, with prosecutors saying the suspect was 16, as per CBS News.
Police had said the person is among several people being interrogated as part of the investigation.
Police said they were “particularly intensively” investigating the theory that the deaths were gang-related, but stressed that it was too early to draw conclusions, The Telegraph reported.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority said in statement: “An intensive investigation is under way. We are now gathering information and the police are conducting door-to-door inquiries and interviewing witnesses.
“In addition, mobile phones and other material that has been seized are being analysed.”
A police spokesperson told Reuters that they have information that a person left the scene on an electric scooter, but added: “Whether this person is a perpetrator or a witness, or someone who has some connection to the incident, it is unclear at this time.”
Sweden has seen a wave of gang-related violence for over a decade that has included an increase in gun violence, as per Reuters.
The country had reportedly had 2.5 times more gun deaths than the European Union average in 2023.
However, police said in January that the number of shootings had dropped last year for the second consecutive year, with 296 shootings, a 20% drop on 2023’s total, as per France 24.
