A surge in gang violence during a brutal summer spells trouble for the ruling parties.
A person dressed all in black hurled a hand grenade into a shop in the crime-ridden suburb of Geneta in the Swedish city of on Södertälje on July 22. Several bystanders were injured and one woman in her 50s had to be airlifted to the hospital.
Only a day later, a man was shot and injured on a street nearby.
The spate of gang violence is all part of a brutal summer that spells trouble for Sweden’s government.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and his right-wing allies edged an election two years ago promising to end a decade of spiraling clashes between drug runners.
But the crime statistics make for chilling reading in a country of 10.5 million whose international image is one of a peaceful, successful nation with a competitive economy and strong welfare protections.
Literally hand grenades. Usually imported from Balkan if I’m not mistaken. I read an article a couple of years ago where someone involved in the illegal weapons trade said that you sometimes get complementary grenades when you buy guns and ammunition. If that’s true it’s really wild.