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Two men held over Gotland stabbing

A murder, a slew of firework injuries, assault, arson and domestic violence summed up New Year's Eve in many parts of Sweden.

In Visby on Gotland a man was stabbed a mere half hour into 2009. Police confirmed on Thursday afternoon that two men had been arrested in connection with the attack which has been classified as murder.

“We have arrested two men in their thirties who are previously known to the police. The development of the investigation during the night and this morning have enabled us to focus our suspicions in their direction,” said Fredrik Persson of Visby police to news agency TT.

The deceased man, confirmed to be in his thirties, was stabbed at 12.30am on New Year’s Day in Visby on the Baltic island of Gotland. He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance but was declared dead on arrival.

The new year started inauspiciously as reports of firework injuries, assault, arson and domestic violence filtered through from across Sweden on New Year’s Day morning.

A 12-year-old boy was injured by a firework in Gråska in Hallstavik north of Stockholm when his family let off a so-called fireworks chest in their back garden.

“The final rocket in the chest veered in the wrong direction and hit the boy in the eye. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance helicopter but was conscious and could be spoken to. It is as yet unknown how badly damaged his eye is,” said Ann-Charlotte Wejnäs at Stockholm police.

A teenage girl in Bromölla and a man in Karlshamn in southern Sweden were hit by fireworks as new year celebrations soured. The girl is reported to have sustained only minor injuries while the man is reported to have suffered burns.

More than 30 fires broke out in the southern province of Skåne during the night as fire-fighting resources were stretched to their limit. An apartment was destroyed in Ystad and a school building was burned down in the Malmö suburb of Holma.

“The remainder were mostly car fires, fires in skips and refuse rooms. We don’t yet know if the fires were caused by fireworks or general arson attacks and vandalism,” said Sofie Österheim at Skåne police.

The police have been inundated with reports of the careless and irresponsible use of fireworks and bangers.

“We have received masses of complaints. Among others a young girl was hit by a banger in Vårby, but without serious injury. There has also been a slew of domestic fights and fires in cars and on balconies,” said Ann-Charlotte Wejnäs at Stockholm police.

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CRIME

IN NUMBERS: Has Sweden’s wave of deadly gang violence peaked?

The number of deadly shootings in Sweden has fallen after hitting a record in 2022, according to the latest annual statistics from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). But violent killings continued to rise and more women and youths were victims.

IN NUMBERS: Has Sweden's wave of deadly gang violence peaked?

How bad was 2023 for violent homicide in general? 

With 121 violent homicides recorded, 2023 was the worst year for murder in Sweden since 2020, when 124 people were killed in violent attacks, continuing a rising trend seen since 2021. The number of violent killings was up 4 percent on 2022, when 116 people were killed. 

It’s worth pointing out, however, that this is still lower than the 129 people who died of “murder, manslaughter or violent attack” in Sweden back in 1989,  when the population was nearly 20 percent lower. 

The graph below shows how the number of violent homicides in Sweden rose sharply in about 2014, after which it has seen a gradual but unsteady increase.  

Homicides in Sweden between 2013 and 2023. Source: Brå
 
What about deadly shootings?
 
When it comes to the gang shootings that have dominated headlines in Sweden in recent years, there were signs of improvement, with 53 people shot dead in 2023, down from a record 63 in 2022.  
 
It’s hardly great news though, as 2023 still witnessed the second highest number of deadly shootings ever recorded in Sweden. 
 
The number of fatal stabbings also increased slightly in 2023 to 41 from 35 in 2022. 

 

Deadly shootings, stabbings and other forms of violent murder between 2013 and 2023. Source: Brå
 
Tragically, in 2023, gang criminals in Sweden increasingly began to target the relatives and loved ones of their rivals and also to use minors in their gang wars, leading to a spike in the number of women and youths killed. 
 
Ten more women and nine more people under the age of 18 died in violent attacks in 2023 than in 2022, pushing the number of female victims to 33 and the number of youth victims to 17. 
 
“This year more minors and women have been homicide victims compared with the year before,” Jan Lundbeck, a statistician at the council said in a press release. “This is partly a result of conflicts in criminal circles which had had deadly consequences in which people under the ae of 18 and even women have been affected.” 

Ten of the 33 women killed were in a relationship with their killer, the same number as in 2022. 

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