Sweden Gripped By Violence As Gang Feud Escalates, Three Killed In Night Of Chaos

Overnight, three lives were tragically cut short in Sweden as violence tied to an escalating feud between criminal gangs reached a grim peak. An 18-year-old man was fatally shot in a Stockholm suburb late Wednesday, followed by another deadly shooting in Jordbro hours later, where one man lost his life, and another sustained injuries.

The night concluded with a woman in her 20s perishing in an explosive incident in Uppsala, west of Stockholm, with the blast, now treated as a murder, damaging five houses. Notably, the surge in gun violence has claimed 11 lives in September, marking the deadliest month for shootings since police began keeping records in 2016, AP reported. 

While the connection between the shootings and the explosion remains unclear, Swedish media suggests a link to an ongoing feud between criminal gangs, a troubling trend in the country marked by drive-by shootings and bombings. The conflict involves two rival gangs—one led by a Swedish-Turkish dual national residing in Turkey, and the other by his former lieutenant—battling for control over drugs and weapons.

Authorities have detained three individuals suspected of involvement in the fatal Jordbro shooting, and two arrests have been made in connection with the explosive incident in Uppsala, where the violence was so intense that facades of two houses were blown away.

Amidst these incidents, the Swedish government, particularly the centre-right administration, has been implementing stricter laws to address gang-related crime. The country's police chief has described the onslaught of violence by warring gangs as "unprecedented." Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer recently reaffirmed plans to increase penalties for possessing explosives without a permit, with a legislative change slated for April 1, in response to the alarming escalation in criminal activities.