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Two Swedes killed in gang-linked Copenhagen shooting identified

The victims of a fatal double shooting in Herlev near Copenhagen on Tuesday have been identified.

Published: 27 June 2019 17:02 CEST

Two Swedes killed in gang-linked Copenhagen shooting identified

Copenhagen West Police brief press on Thursday. Photo: Nils Meilvang / Ritzau Scanpix

Two Swedish men aged 21 and 23 years were killed in the incident, Copenhagen West Police confirmed on Thursday.

The men were shot at least ten times and several weapons were used, probably including both pistols and automatic weapons.

The crime took place on the Sennepshaven road in Herlev, around 12 kilometres northwest of central Copenhagen. The shooters fled the scene in a silver-grey Audi S4, which was later found at Nærum, an area further north.

Attempts had been made to set fire to the getaway vehicle.

Police said on Thursday they did not wish to reveal further information as to the identity of the two victims, citing the need to protect the ongoing investigation.

Swedish daily Expressen has previously reported that the 23-year-old was a leading member of a gang known as ‘Snottaz’ from the Rinkeby neighbourhood in Stockholm. The other man was from Tensta, also near the Swedish capital, according to the newspaper.

Danish police are working together with colleagues in Sweden on the investigation.

“We need to remain cautious about releasing information on this case out of consideration for the ongoing investigation, which is wide-ranging and involves a number of Danish police districts and Swedish police,” superintendent Flemming Madsen of Copenhagen West Police said.

READ ALSO: Swedish gang leader reported shot dead in Copenhagen

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'More Danes than ever' victims of digital crime

The number, released by the Danish Crime Prevention Council (Det Kriminalpræventive Råd) represents a significant increase on the previous year’s figure of 150,000.

Denmark’s justice ministry, national police and the University of Copenhagen all work with the Crime Prevention Council in an annual study which tracks the figure through contact with victims.

It represents a trend which is unlikely to slow down in coming years, according to the Council’s director Erik Christensen.

“Technological advances mean that there are more and more doors through which the criminals can walk in relation to scamming us normal members of the public,” he told newswire Ritzau.

The emergence of AI could make it even more likely that people become subjected to digital fraud attempts, he said.

The study found that online payments and abuse of payment information were most common types of fraud defined as IT-related.

But “contact fraud”, in which scammers contact targets by email, telephone or online, is also on the rise.

The figure for that specific type of crime went from 13,000 in 2022 to 47,000 last year.

READ ALSO: Danish courts issue warning over SMS scam

“Our best advice is that if each of us takes good time when we get an email or SMS… and check whether it is [actually] from the Tax Agency, municipality or bank,” Christensen said.

He also advised asking a family member or trusted person for a second opinion before answering any email or SMS, if in doubt.

In the most common type of IT crime – online transactions – some 85,000 people in Denmark last year lost money to scams such as fake web shops or trades with private individuals.

Another form – which hit 64,000 people – involves purchase of a fake or counterfeit item.

Some 76,000 people were victims of having their bank card details stolen and misused, some 19,000 more than in 2022.

“We must move away from shaming people who get scammed because anyone can fall victim to it. Even when you look at these numbers, we know there are also unreported cases,” Christensen said.

The Council director stressed the importance of victims of online fraud not feeling shame over what had happened.

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