The warning comes following information released by the police on Wednesday indicating that residents with immigrant backgrounds have been targeted in a number of recent shootings, up to 15 of which the police believe may be related.

Police also cautioned members of the public not to try to intervene if they witness a new shooting.

“You shouldn’t give chase. The first think you should think about is your own safety, then call the police,” J-B Cederholm of the Skåne County police said at a Thursday press conference, according to the Kvällsposten newspaper.

There have already been 50 shootings in the southern Swedish city this year. While a number of the shootings haven’t resulted in any victims, olice are nevertheless concerned about the situation.

They believe that one or a handful of dangerous individuals are behind up to 15 shootings in which all but one of the victims has had an immigrant background.

As a result, police have focused their investigation on groups of right-wing extremists.

“It’s part of our preliminary investigation. But we’re also looking wider than that,” police spokesperson Mats Lassén said at the press conference.

The first victim was a 20-year-old woman who was alone in a car with a 21-year-old man near the Rosengård neighbourhood in October 2009.

The woman died from her injuries, while the man, who had a foreign background, survived.

No one has been arrested in connection with the shootings, according to the police, who have established a special group with several officers to work on the investigation.

While no tips have come in which have led to a major breakthrough in the case, police are hopeful that they will be able to arrest the suspected shooter or shooters, Kvällsposten reports.

“And if the assailant continues, there is a greater risk that he’s make a mistake, that he’ll leave a trace of something behind,” said Cederholm.