45 killed in armed attacks on streets in Sweden this year
STOCKHOLM
Contrary to its reputation as one of the most peaceful countries in the world, Sweden saw more than 250 armed attacks this year, resulting in the deaths of at least 45 people, police data show.
A total of 251 armed attacks were carried out in the first eight months of 2022, killing at least 45 people and injuring 67.
Organized crime has increased in the Scandinavian country in recent years.
According to the record, a total of 360 shootings took place in 2019, killing 45 people and injuring 126 others. This figure increased to 379 – 47 people lost their lives and 126 injured – in 2020.
Sweden faced the same problem in 2021 and crime syndicates carried out 344 armed attacks, killing 45 and injuring 115 others.
On June 2, right-wing parties in Sweden’s Riksdag – Riksdagen – tabled a motion of no confidence against Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson due to “the inability to prevent the increasing armed conflicts between crime syndicates and gangs in recent years.”
In response, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said she would resign if the minister was dismissed.
However, the opposition parties failed to gather majority support for the motion against Johansson.
In June last year, the Gothenburg police’s Ulf Bostrom sounded the alarm that the problem is gigantic, and that even the police could not protect the victims.
As parties in Sweden prepare for the upcoming election scheduled for next month, the fight against criminal gangs has topped the agenda.
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