Swedish police have apprehended a teenager after a tragic quadruple shooting in the city of Uppsala on Tuesday.
Following the attack on a hair shop in the city centre, the shooter reportedly left on a scooter, sparking a manhunt.
On Wednesday, police verified that the person apprehended for the shooting was under the age of 18.
Swedish police said 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%” confirmed.
According to Swedish media, police are investigating the likelihood that the killings were the result of gang activity.
According to local media, one of the murder victims at the hair salon is known to the police.
According to accounts, the victim was involved in a police probe into a planned attack on a relative of gang leader Ismail Abdo. The individual was never charged.
Abdo, known as ‘jordgubben’ or ‘the strawberry’, is a well-known gang leader.
A new, horrific chapter in Sweden’s gang battles began in 2023, when Abdo’s mother was murdered at her house in Uppsala, north of Stockholm.
In recent years, Sweden has experienced a surge in youth gang violence, with individuals charged with anything from vandalism to murder.
In an effort to address the issue, the Swedish government has proposed new legislation allowing police to wiretap young people under the age of 15.
In a pre-planned press conference on gang violence on Wednesday, Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer suggested that police would not require actual evidence to perform wiretaps.
While acknowledging that the ideas violate privacy, Strömmer believes the steps are required to prevent youngsters as young as ten and eleven from joining gangs, according to Swedish media.
The government has also stated that it intends to strengthen the country’s weapons restrictions.
The attack occurred on the eve of the Walpurgis spring festival, which is expected to draw big crowds to the streets of Uppsala, a university town north of Stockholm.
University students assemble in Valborg, Sweden, for champagne breakfasts, herring lunches, and a river raft racing.
A massive bonfire on the outskirts of the city is scheduled for Wednesday evening.
According to Åsa Larsson, a local police chief in Uppsala and Knivsta, Swedes planning to visit Uppsala for the annual Valborg spring festival, which is popular among students, should not adjust their plans.
Visitors were asked to notify police if they noticed anything that made them anxious.
She stated that there would be a significant police presence in Uppsala in the coming days, but that there were “no guarantees” that further violence would be averted.
Following the shooting, authorities blocked off a huge area surrounding the hair salon.
“Everything happened so fast. It just went bang, bang, bang,” a witness told Swedish channel TV4.
Another man stated that he was cooking at home when he heard “two bangs that sounded a bit like fireworks” going off outside on the street.
He told Swedish reporters he was “very surprised and scared”, and shortly after, “swarms of police and ambulances” started blocking off the street and telling people to move back.
