A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in Sweden on suspicion of committing three murders and two attempted murders in separate gang-related incidents within a 24-hour period.
The teenager was detained by authorities after fleeing the scene of a double murder at a home in Tullinge, south of Stockholm, on Friday evening in which two women, aged 20 and 60, were shot dead.
He is also believed to have been responsible for the fatal shooting of a young father and the wounding of his wife and young child at another private residence in Telefonplan, southern Stockholm, on Thursday.
The boy was caught traveling in a taxi away from the scene on Friday and was found in possession of an automatic firearm, as well as an extra magazine of ammunition. The taxi driver was also arrested but was later released.
“I cannot comment more than that he was arrested after the deed in Tullinge and then suspicions were raised about both events,” said District Attorney Mats Ihlbom who also revealed that he had never witnessed the arrest of someone so young in connection with a triple murder.
“It is unusual even for us and of course also stressful for us,” he added.
According to Swedish broadcaster SVT, the double murder in Tullinge was “directed at a relative of a person who is connected to the ongoing gang conflict within the Foxtrot network.” The notorious Swedish underworld is currently engaged in a power struggle that has resulted in the number of gang-related shootings skyrocketing across the country.
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The broadcaster also reported that the 16-year-old boy arrested for the murders is believed to have run away from an HVB home, a residential care home typically used to house and educate unaccompanied migrant minors.
The ethnicity of the suspect has not been disclosed by the Swedish authorities; however, he is believed to have been involved in gang-related activity for some time and has been the subject of approximately 20 criminal charges.
Many of these charges relate to crimes committed before he had reached the age of responsibility, currently 15 in Sweden, meaning he could not be convicted. They pertain to various crimes including robbery, assault, and illegal threats and abuse.
Earlier this year, the teenager was sentenced for minor drug offenses.
