Teenager arrested

Gothenburg: Shots fired at Israeli company

In Gothenburg, shots were fired at the branch of an Israeli company.

(Bild: AFP/Adam Ihse)

Shots were fired at the building of an Israeli company in the Swedish city of Gothenburg on Thursday morning. A young man has been arrested and is being investigated for attempted murder and serious weapons offenses. There were no casualties.

The police later added that a suspected dangerous object had also been found inside the cordon. The bomb squad is dealing with it.

Shooter still very young according to the media
Swedish media reported that the shots were fired at a subsidiary of an Israeli defense company. According to the media, the perpetrator is said to be under the age of 15; "Aftonbladet" spoke of a 13-year-old boy. The company initially did not wish to comment on the incident.

Several recent incidents involving firearms
In recent days, there have been several incidents involving firearms in various parts of Sweden, including in shopping centers, after which underage suspects were arrested. Around a week ago, shots were also fired at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. A few hours later, there were explosions outside the Israeli embassy in the Danish capital Copenhagen, which are suspected to be linked to the shooting in Stockholm. In Copenhagen, young Swedes aged 16 and 19 were arrested on suspicion of the crime.

Gang crime difficult to get under control
For several years, Sweden has been experiencing gang crime that is difficult to get under control. In this context, shootings and explosions are no longer a rarity in the Scandinavian EU country. Again and again, teenagers are among the perpetrators and victims.

In particular, a gang conflict between the leader of the so-called Foxtrot network and one of the man's rivals has repeatedly triggered serious acts of violence in the country. According to Swedish media reports, Iran is trying to get both camps to carry out attacks on Israeli objects.