In 2020, Swedish state media painted Ali Salum and his Syrian refugee family as an example of successful integration. Five years later, the now 15-year-old is on trial for attempted murder, accused of shooting a classmate in the head inside a school toilet at Trångsund School in Huddinge.
The trial, which began on Thursday, is expected to last three days, concluding on Jan. 22. Salum is charged with attempted murder, preparation for murder, and aggravated weapons offenses.
The charges pertain to an incident in September last year when a gunshot was fired from inside a school restroom resulting in serious injury to one 15-year-old victim who was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. Despite being shot in the head, with the bullet passing through his nose and lodging in his neck, the victim miraculously survived.
During police interrogations, Ali Salum initially denied responsibility, claiming instead that his classmate had attempted suicide.
“He wanted to commit suicide before,” Salum said during a police interrogation.
However, under further questioning, he changed his account, stating that the incident was merely a “warning shot.” His victim vehemently denied the suicide claim, calling it “a pure lie.”
“He aimed at the mouth and then the head. So he did it on purpose,” the survivor told police.
The Samnytt news site reported that investigators also suspect that Salum may have targeted the wrong person — though the intended victim remains unclear — and that the Syrian minor was instructed by a criminal gang to shoot at an apartment door and blow up a gate in separate incidents, possibly as an initiation.
The defendant claimed that the group assured him they had police protection and that if he were caught, he was supposed to say specific code words such as “beach ball” to secure his release.
There are further suspicions that a 14-year-old accomplice may have orchestrated the attack. However, due to his age, the younger boy cannot be formally charged. He has been questioned by police and denied any involvement.
Ali Salum was born in Aleppo, Syria, and arrived in Sweden with his parents and three siblings during the 2015 migrant crisis. The Swedish Migration Agency confirmed that his family had sought asylum.
In 2019, Salum became a Swedish citizen, while his father was granted citizenship in 2023. His mother’s application, however, was denied.
Notably, Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Radio previously interviewed Ali Salum and his family in 2020, portraying them as an example of successful integration. The family had described their struggles with housing, moving five times before finally purchasing a home in Skogås.
“Father and mother bought a house so that I wouldn’t have to move too many times,” a 10-year-old Ali Salum said at the time.
The trial continues.
