Malmö shootings
Encyclopedia
The Malmö shootings are a string of attacks by a suspected serial shooter in the southern Swedish
city of Malmö
. The shooter apparently targets people with dark skin and non-Swedish appearance. As of 23 October 2010, as many as 15 shootings were linked to the same suspect, whom the police had not yet been able to identify. Comparisons have been made to the so-called "Laser man
", who committed eleven shootings on people of immigrant origin in the Stockholm
and Uppsala
area in 1991–92, killing one.
The attacks, carried out with a large-caliber
handgun
, have been going on at least since December 2009. At the same time, the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman in October 2009 has also been linked to the same perpetrator. The woman is the only ethnically Swedish victim, though she was in the company of a friend of immigrant origin. This murder has been linked to the other shootings through forensic evidence, showing that the weapon used was the same gun as the one used in several of the other attacks.
The attacks have spread fear among the substantial immigrant population of Malmö. "Many people are frightened at the moment", says Tahmoures Yassami, the leader of the Iran
ian-Swedish Association in Malmö, "Especially families who have children." The local police have warned against panic, pointing out that the risk for any individual of being shot is very low. At the same time, they have cautioned people of ethnic minorities to avoid lonely places after dark, which is when the attacks have been taking place.
Much like the similar shootings against immigrants
in Stockholm after the 1991 general elections in Sweden
, which saw the right-wing New Democracy
enter Parliament, the Malmö shootings were preceded by the entrance of an anti-immigrant party into Parliament in the recent general election
, the Sweden Democrats
. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson
condemned the shootings and referred to them as "very tragic". The far-right-wing party secretary of SD, Björn Söder
, instead expressed his disgust with the medias reporting of the shootings in Malmö and also insited that the mass media devote more of their coverage to the "systematic violence of the far left against the Sweden Democrats", the alleged lack of balance in the reportings of attacks against his party colleagues – some of the more recent incidents have been questioned, as when David von Arnold Antoni, according to a Forensic pathologist's report, cut a swastika to his forehead and blamed it on immigrants.
On 6 November, Swedish police announced that a 38-year-old male had been brought into custody on suspicion of being the shooter. According to Malmö police he is now under suspicion of one murder and seven murder attempts.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
city of Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
. The shooter apparently targets people with dark skin and non-Swedish appearance. As of 23 October 2010, as many as 15 shootings were linked to the same suspect, whom the police had not yet been able to identify. Comparisons have been made to the so-called "Laser man
John Ausonius
John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius , known in the media as Lasermannen is a Swedish convicted murderer, bank robber, and attempted serial killer. From August 1991 to January 1992 he shot eleven people in the Stockholm and Uppsala area, most of whom were immigrants, killing one and seriously injuring...
", who committed eleven shootings on people of immigrant origin in the Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
area in 1991–92, killing one.
The attacks, carried out with a large-caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
, have been going on at least since December 2009. At the same time, the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman in October 2009 has also been linked to the same perpetrator. The woman is the only ethnically Swedish victim, though she was in the company of a friend of immigrant origin. This murder has been linked to the other shootings through forensic evidence, showing that the weapon used was the same gun as the one used in several of the other attacks.
The attacks have spread fear among the substantial immigrant population of Malmö. "Many people are frightened at the moment", says Tahmoures Yassami, the leader of the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-Swedish Association in Malmö, "Especially families who have children." The local police have warned against panic, pointing out that the risk for any individual of being shot is very low. At the same time, they have cautioned people of ethnic minorities to avoid lonely places after dark, which is when the attacks have been taking place.
Much like the similar shootings against immigrants
John Ausonius
John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius , known in the media as Lasermannen is a Swedish convicted murderer, bank robber, and attempted serial killer. From August 1991 to January 1992 he shot eleven people in the Stockholm and Uppsala area, most of whom were immigrants, killing one and seriously injuring...
in Stockholm after the 1991 general elections in Sweden
Swedish general election, 1991
Election to the Parliament of Sweden was held on 15 September 1991. The election, like all parliamentary elections in Sweden, was conducted using a party-list proportional representation system....
, which saw the right-wing New Democracy
New Democracy (Sweden)
New Democracy was a political party in Sweden, founded in 1991 and elected into the Swedish Parliament in its first election, falling equally fast out again in 1994....
enter Parliament, the Malmö shootings were preceded by the entrance of an anti-immigrant party into Parliament in the recent general election
Swedish general election, 2010
A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main contenders of the election were the governing centre-right coalition the Alliance and the oppositional centre-left Red-Greens coalition A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main...
, the Sweden Democrats
Sweden Democrats
The Sweden Democrats is a political party in Sweden, founded in 1988. SD describes itself as a nationalist movement although others use the term far-right. Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson, while Björn Söder is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. An Anemone...
. Party leader Jimmie Åkesson
Jimmie Åkesson
Per Jimmie Åkesson is a Swedish politician. He is the current leader of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election. He is under constant protection by the Swedish Security Service.- Biography :...
condemned the shootings and referred to them as "very tragic". The far-right-wing party secretary of SD, Björn Söder
Björn Söder
Björn Olof Söder is a Swedish politician of the nationalist Sweden Democrats. He is the current party secretary of the Sweden Democrats and a member of the Swedish parliament following the 2010 general election....
, instead expressed his disgust with the medias reporting of the shootings in Malmö and also insited that the mass media devote more of their coverage to the "systematic violence of the far left against the Sweden Democrats", the alleged lack of balance in the reportings of attacks against his party colleagues – some of the more recent incidents have been questioned, as when David von Arnold Antoni, according to a Forensic pathologist's report, cut a swastika to his forehead and blamed it on immigrants.
On 6 November, Swedish police announced that a 38-year-old male had been brought into custody on suspicion of being the shooter. According to Malmö police he is now under suspicion of one murder and seven murder attempts.
List of suspected shootings
The following shootings have been connected to the same suspect:- 10 October 2009 – 20-year-old Trez West Persson is shot and killed while sitting in a car in Västra Skrävlinge Kyrkoväg, near a mosqueMosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
. Her 22-year-old friend, who is dark-skinned, is seriously injured. - 23 Oktober 2009 – Several shots are fired against an apartment in Hyacintgatan.
- 31 December 2009 – Shots are fired against a mosque in Jägersrovägen. No-one is hit, but an imamImamAn imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
is injured in the neck by broken glass. - 25 January 2010 – A 17-year-old boy is shot in the chest and a 36-year-old man in the leg outside a store in Rasmusgatan. Police suspect the 17-year-old was the target, while the 36-year-old was shot by accident.
- 12 March 2010 – Shots are fired against a house in Hårds väg. The target is probably the 22-year-old who escaped the attack on 10 October.
- 16 March 2010 – A 21-year-old and a 22-year-old are attacked at close range while sitting in a car in Professorgatan. The 21-year-old is hit several times, while the 21-year-old escapes unscathed.
- 19 June 2010 – Three African men are shot at while exiting a taxi in Regementsgatan. One is hit, but receives only a burn wound.
- 26 June 2010 – A 30-year-old man is shot through the window of a gym in Vendelfridsgatan. He is hit twice in the back.
- 27 June 2010 – Only 40 minutes after the previous shooting, a 29-year-old is shot in the shoulder while sitting in a car in Munkhättegatan.
- 24 August 2010 – A fast food restaurant in Köpenhamnsvägen is shot at. The bullet goes straight through the building and hits a car at the other side, but no-one is hit. The owner claims to have seen a laser light immediately before the shot was fired.
- 25 September 2010 – A 31-year-old man receives a flesh wound to the head when he is shot outside of the university hospital.
- 10 October 2010 – A 47-year-old man is shot in the stomach at the bus stop by the intersection of Lönngatan and Norra Grängesbergsgatan. The bullet goes through his body, but the injuries are not serious.
- 19 October 2010 – In an incident similar to the one of 10 October, a 28-year-old man is shot in the back at close range while waiting for the bus by Eriksfältgatan. The bullet pierces the victim's lung, leaving serious damage.
- 21 October 2010 – A 16-year-old boy is fired at by Hermodalstorget, but he is not hit.
- 21 October 2010 – On the same night, two women are shot through a window in Kroksbäck.
External links
- Skjutningarna i Malmö, site by the Swedish Police ServiceSwedish Police ServiceThe Swedish Police Service is a collection of Government agencies concerned with police matters in Sweden. The Swedish Police Service consists of 28,500 employees of which 39 per cent are women. The staff consists of 20,000 police officers of which 25 per cent are women and 8,500 civilian staff of...
(in Swedish). - Map of recent shootings in Malmö, created by Sydsvenska Dagbladet (in Swedish).