Drama in Sweden –
A person killed in a shooting near a mosque
A shooting broke out in Örebro, a city in the south of the country, probably linked to rivalries between organized criminal gangs. The author is sought.
Police use a dog during his investigation into the premises outside a mosque after a shooting that made several injured in Örebro, Sweden, August 15, 2025.
AFP/FREDRIK SANDBERG
One person was killed and another injured in a shootout on Friday near a mosque in Örebro, a city in southern Sweden, which would be linked to rivalries between organized criminal gangs, police said.
A man “aged about 25 died from his injuries,” the police said in a statement, without precision on the state of the person who was injured.
According to local media, the shooting occurred while the faithful left the mosque after Friday prayer, causing a movement of panic and flight.
One of the people injured was hit as she left the mosque, according to the same source. The police urged the public to stay away from the premises during the research to find the shooter.
A witness assured the Swedish public channel SVT that he stood a few meters from one of the men affected by the bullets.
“He came out of the mosque. Then another man approached and pulled four or five shots, “said the man, whose identity was not revealed.
An “isolated” event
According to a police spokesman Lars Hedelin, interviewed by the daily AFTONBLADET, the shooting is probably an “isolated” event and did not aim for the mosque itself.
In a statement, the police said that this attack was linked to the “organized crime.” “Police opened a preliminary investigation for attempted murder.” She also said.
“We are currently looking for actively the authors (s),” Anders Dahlman, police spokesperson, told AFP. “We ask witnesses and the technical investigation is underway,” he added.
The police did not wish to confirm the age or the gender of the two injured, or the seriousness of their condition. Both were transported to the hospital to be treated there. One of them died. Nor did she give any details on the circumstances of the attack.
Worse shooting in February
A Février, Örebro A Connu The worst shooting History in Sweden: a 35 -year -old man entered an adult training center and killed 10 people before turning his weapon against him.
At the end of April, Three people had been killed In Uppsala, about sixty kilometers north of Stockholm.
Formerly known for its low crime rates, Sweden struggles to stem a gang war that has been raging there for several years.
Criminal networks are involved in drug and weapon trafficking, fraud to social benefits, as well as in shootings and bomb attacks that have regularly raged in the country in recent years.
Operations from abroad
According to police, the chiefs of criminal networks operate more and more from abroad, orchestrate murders and attacks via social networks and often recruit young children who have not reached the age of criminal responsibility to carry out attacks.
Violence by firearms in Sweden leads to around four dead per million inhabitants each year, a figure much higher than the European average of 1.6, according to the Swedish National Council for the prevention of crime (BR).
But the number of people killed in Sweden fell in 2024 at its lowest level since 2014, according to a report by the Swedish National Council for crime prevention (BRA) published at the end of March.
Swedish police said in January that the number of shootings had decreased in 2024 for the second consecutive year, with 296 shootings, a decrease of 20% compared to the previous year.
In this country of 10.6 million inhabitants, 92 cases of fatal violence were recorded in 2024, 29 less than in 2023, according to the Bra.
“Latest news”
Do you want to stay at the top of the info? “24 hours” offers you two meetings a day, not to miss anything of what is happening in your canton, in Switzerland or in the world.
Other newsletters
AFP
Did you find an error? Please report it to us.