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MALMÖ SHOOTINGS

PETER MANGS

Suspected serial killer charged in Malmö

Formal charges were filed in Malmö on Monday morning against a suspected serial killer who left the city gripped with fear before his arrest 18 months ago.

Published: 7 May 2012 12:16 CEST
Suspected serial killer charged in Malmö

The suspect, 40-year-old Peter Mangs, stands charged with three counts of murder, 12 counts of attempted murder, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

“In the beginning of the investigation the suspect cooperated during interrogations, but since then he has not wanted to talk or answer questions,” said prosecutor Solveig Wollstad in a statement on Monday.

“Of the crimes he is currently charged with, he has only confessed to two counts of vandalism.”

He has been charged with killing two men of immigrant origin in 2003 and one Swedish woman who had been sitting in a car with an immigrant man in late 2009.

He was also charged with 12 attempted murders in which he fired numerous shots with his Glock 19 pistol at homes, businesses and cars as well as out in the open, seriously injuring a number of people and coming close to killing many others.

“There is a certain level of xenophobia, but also other things, like aggression towards people who have previously been found guilty of crime,” Wollstad was quoted by the TT news agency as saying.

Periodic reports emerging from the police investigation since Mangs’ arrest in November 2010 have added further cases to the charge sheet which is reputedly over 60 pages long.

In autumn of 2010 police in Malmö began to suspect a serial killer was wreaking havoc on the city. The city was stifled with fear after similarities were noticed between this case and the so called “Laser Man” killer in Stockholm, who shot 11 people between 1991 and 1992.

On November 6th, Mangs was finally arrested and has been held on remand for ensuing 18 months as investigators pieced together the complicated and case against him.

Wollstad explained that the investigation was such a lengthy process as it required substantial amounts of witness testimonies, forensic evidence reports, and cooperation with several other countries including the US.

Mangs is also charged with two cases of aggravated assault, aggravated judicial tampering and two counts of criminal damages.

He continues to deny the charges against him.

The prosecutor’s office said Mangs’ trial should get underway “relatively soon” and was expected to wrap up around mid-July.

AFP/The Local/og

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PETER MANGS

Swedish sniper wanted to ignite ‘gang warfare’

Convicted Swedish sniper Peter Mangs came close to confessing to another two murders on Tuesday, commenting on the string of attacks he had denied in court but now says were meant to create tensions in Sweden's multicultural city.

Published: 13 August 2013 07:58 CEST
Swedish sniper wanted to ignite 'gang warfare'

Mangs, who was jailed last year in Malmö, southern Sweden, told the regional Sydsvenskan newspaper on Tuesday that his goal with the series of shootings that terrorized the city was to incited gang warfare. On Monday, he confirmed that he had killed 20-year-old Trez West Persson.

The interview also contained quotes that came close to a confession to two further murders, after telling the paper’s reporter on Monday that he had shot Persson and seriously injured her companion, in a parked car in Malmö.

Her companion, Mangs’ intended target, survived and gave evidence at the trial in Malmö. His short hair revealed a long scar snaking across his skull, the physical reminder of the attack which he told court had altered his life for ever.

Mangs told the paper that the man did not look “like a criminal”, rather that the circumstances pointed to him being a lawbreaker, and that this was enough for the serial killer to feel the need to strike.

“It was a hunt! When the right opportunity presented itself, one that filled all the right criteria, then the idea was to do it,” he said.

On Tuesday, Mangs continued his saga by telling Sydsvenskan that he had engaged in target practice across the entire city at least a hundred times.

Mangs was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for two murders and five attempted murders. In April, he was convicted of another three attempted murders by the Malmö appeals court (hovrätten). The Supreme Court denied his lawyers a chance to appeal.

Mangs was also charged with killing two men aged 23 and 66, in 2003, as well as the 20-year-old Swedish woman in 2009.

As many of his victims had immigrant backgrounds, the attacks spread fear in Sweden’s most multicultural city before Mangs was apprehended by the police. Swedish police grappled with his motives, as Mangs had no clear cut ideological profile, but has spoken about his disdain for criminals.

He was also charged with a slew of attempted murders in which he fired numerous shots with his Glock 19 pistol at homes, businesses and cars as well as out in the open, seriously injuring a number of people and coming close to killing many others.

The Swedish prosecutor who headed the case against him, Solveig Wollstad, said on Monday that the confession may help Persson’s family.

TT/The Local/at

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