Gangland wars are killing many bystanders, Swedish police report | Crime Stories

Deaths from sectarian violence included people who were hit by bullets, cases of misidentification by the shooter, and family members of targeted terrorists.

23 innocent people have been killed and 30 injured in terrorist shootings in Sweden in the past three years, according to statistics that show the country is struggling with violent crime.

Sweden has been struggling for more than a decade to have one gang violence mainly linked to goal setting and drug market control battles. Innocent people include people who have been hit by bullets, unknown crimes, and relatives of wanted criminals, according to police statistics released Monday.

Alexander Wallenius, coordinator of the Swedish police department, told TT that one of the reasons for the high number of casualties was that most of the shooters were young.

“We’re dealing with very young offenders who, for the most part, have no previous experience of violence, which means a greater risk that other people or wrong motives will be struck,” Wallenius said.

Minor gang members

Swedish criminals often use social media and hidden software to recruit young people who are paid to commit crimes.

Recruiters are often under 15, the Swedish age of criminal responsibility – meaning they cannot be prosecuted and fall under social service obligations, making them valuable assets for criminals.

The small right-wing government, supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats, has been pushing for proposals to tackle crime and immigration ahead of the September 13 election.

Last week, it said it was planning to introduce rules requiring social media sites like TikTok and Snapchat to remove “killer ads” posted by pirates within an hour or face hefty fines.

The government has already announced that it wants to reduce from 15 years to 13 years for crimes where a person must be imprisoned for at least four years.