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CRIME

‘Dapper’ Stockholm axe man attacks 71-year-old

A 71-year-old was attacked in central Stockholm at the end of January by a “well-dressed” man, threatening to kill him while splitting his skull in two with an axe.

Published: 9 February 2012 11:28 CET
'Dapper' Stockholm axe man attacks 71-year-old

“I just want to kill you,” the axe-wielding assailant said to his elderly victim, according to daily Aftonbladet.

Early in the morning on January 22nd, 71-year-old “Roland” got dressed and went out for his daily morning walk in the Södermalm area of Stockholm where he lives.

A short while into his walk he suddenly heard “sneaking” steps behind him, and turning around saw a man wielding an axe. The blow hit him over his right eye, splitting his frontal bone in two.

“After that I shouted that I didn’t have any money. He answered ‘I am not after your money’. He dealt another blow with the axe but I managed to raise my arm. So he broke my arm with the handle,” Roland told the paper.

When his attacker tried for the third time to strike him with the axe, Roland managed to get hold of the handle and after a short struggle, the man just gave up his attempt and left.

“He just took off as if nothing had happened. He was swinging the axe as he went, as if it was a spring day and the birds were singing,” said Roland to Aftonbladet.

Roland described the man as “well dressed”, newly shaven, and with tidy thick dark hair.

“And these staring black eyes. I was afraid when I saw them. I have never seen eyes like that before,” he told the paper.

With the help of Roland’s description, the police were able to make a phantom image of the man and last week, a 34-year-old criminology and psychology student was brought in for questioning.

His flat, where he was forcibly apprehended by police, is located some 100 metres from where the attack took place.

As it turned out, the 34-year-old was sectioned last year after an argument with his mother got out of hand. However, he was released shortly after, according to the paper.

He was remanded into custody last Friday and the prosecutor has until this Friday to present evidence indicating his involvement in the axe incident as well as other crimes committed in the area, or he will be released again.

“We are carrying out investigations that will either confirm his involvement or write him off as a suspect. When these are concluded I will decide,” said prosecutor Joakim Eriksson to Aftonbladet.

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CRIME

EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

Several masked men, described by anti-racism magazine Expo as "a group of Nazis" carried out the attack at an event organised by the Left Party and Green Party. Here's what we know so far.

Published: 25 April 2024 09:35 CEST
Updated: 25 April 2024 12:16 CEST
EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

What happened?

Several masked men burst into a Stockholm theatre on Wednesday night and set off smoke bombs during an anti-fascism event, according to police and participants.

Around 50 people were taking part in the event at the Moment theatre in Gubbängen, a southern suburb of the Swedish capital, organised by the Left Party and the Green Party.

“Three people were taken by ambulance to hospital,” the police said on its website, shortly after the attack.

According to Swedish media, one person was physically assaulted and two had paint sprayed in their faces.

“The Nazis attacked visitors using physical violence, with pepper spray, and vandalised the venue before throwing in some kind of smoke grenade which filled the foyer with smoke,” Expo wrote on its website. 

The magazine’s head of education Klara Ljungberg was at the event in order to hold a lecture at the invitation of the two political parties.

What was the meeting about?

According to the Left Party’s press officer, the event was “a meeting about growing fascism”. 

Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar described the event to public broadcaster SVT as an “open event, for equality among individuals”.

As well as Ljungberg from Expo, panelists at the event included anti-fascist activist Mathias Wåg, who also writes for Swedish centre-left tabloid Aftonbladet.

“They were determined and went straight for me,” Wåg told Expo just after the attack. “I received a few blows but nothing that caused serious damage.”

“I was invited to be on a panel in order to discuss anti-fascism with representatives from the Left Party and the Green Party,” he told the magazine. “I didn’t know this was going to happen, but there’s obviously a risk when Expo and I are in the same place.”

What has the reaction been like?

All of Sweden’s parties across the political spectrum have denounced the attack, with Dadgostar describing it as a “threat to our democracy” when TT newswire interviewed her at the theatre a few hours after the attack occurred.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, from the conservative Moderates, called the attack “abhorrent”.

The Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals are currently in government with the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats, while the Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party are in opposition.

“It is appalling news that a meeting hosted by the Left Party has been stormed,” Kristersson told TT. “I have reached out to Nooshi Dadgostar and expressed my deepest support. This type of abhorrent action has no place in our free and open society.”

“Right-wing extremists want to scare us into silence,” Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson wrote on X. “They will never be allowed to succeed.”

“The attack by right-wing extremists at a political meeting is a direct attack on our democracy and freedom of speech,” Green Party co-leader Daniel Helldén wrote on X. “My thoughts are with those who were affected this evening.”

Sweden Democrat party leader Jimmie Åkesson wrote in an email to TT that “political violence is terrible, in all its forms, and does not belong in Sweden.”

“All democratic forces must stand in complete solidarity against all kinds of politically motivated violence,” he continued.

His party has previously admitted to being founded by people from “fascist movement” New Swedish Movement, skinheads, and people with “various types of neo-Nazi contact”.

“It is an attack not only on the Left Party, Green Party and the Expo Foundation, but also on our entire democratic society,” Centre Party leader Muharrem Demirok, who referred to the attackers as “Nazis”, wrote on social media. “Those affected have all my support.”

Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch and Liberal leader Johan Pehrson both referred to the attackers as “anti-democratic forces”.

“It is never acceptable for a political meeting to be stormed by anti-democratic forces,” Busch wrote. “There is no place for this in our society.”

“Anti-democratic forces like this represent a serious threat to our democracy and must be met with society’s hardest iron fist,” Pehrson said.

What about the attackers? Has anyone been arrested?

Not yet. The police had not made any arrests at the time of writing on Thursday morning.

According to TT, police did not want to comment on who could be behind the attack.

It is currently being investigated as a violation of the Flammable and Explosive Goods Act, assault, causing danger to others and disturbing public order.

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