“The 16-year-old suspect has confessed during interviews with police to all the cases of suspected animal cruelty,” police spokeswoman Ulla Brehm told the Göteborgs-Posten (GP) newspaper.

The suspect remains in detention and is expected to be interrogated further on Friday as investigators continue their probe into a string of deadly animal abuse directed at cats and stretching back as far as November 2011.

The most recent incident occurred on May 1st of this year when a cat was found hanging dead outside its owner’s home in the city’s Frölunda neighbourhood of Gothenburg.

Police believe the feline was killed in nearby Högsbo, where six other cats had been tortured, slit open, and hung from trees in the past seven weeks.

In April, Högsbo residents organized a demonstration to voice their concerns and anger about the slew of killings.

While prosecutor Madeleine Berndt Stragnér confirmed the boy’s confession, she refused to release more details about the case.

It remains unclear why or how the 16-year-old suspect came to the attention of investigators. Police have also refused to divulge any information about the boy’s motives.

Meanwhile, police in Gothenburg have expressed their relief that progress has been made in the case.

“It’s naturally feels good now that all concerned residents, cat owners, and others can breathe easily and feel relieved that the police have found the person who did this,” Brehm told GP.

TT/The Local/dl

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