Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Suspect held over Linköping explosion, Turkey agrees to approve Sweden's Nato bid in return for fighter jets, and Uppsala police warn 'danger far from over' in wake of spate of violence. Here's the latest news.
Police investigate after man in 60s shot north of Stockholm
Police are investigating attempted murder after a man in his 60s was found with gunshot wounds outside a house in Åkersberga, north of Stockholm.
The man was taken to hospital by helicopter and his injuries were described as serious, but he was awake and able to communicate with police when they arrived shortly after 10.30pm on Tuesday. No arrests had been made early on Wednesday morning.
Police told the Expressen newspaper it was too early to say whether the shooting was linked to an ongoing gang conflict in central Sweden.
The conflict, between Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid and his former right-hand man Ismail Abdo, has resulted in a spate of fatal shootings in recent weeks, particularly in Stockholm and Uppsala, targeting even relatives who are not themselves involved in gang crime.
Swedish vocabulary: too early – för tidigt
Suspect held over Linköping blast
One person is being held in connection with a huge explosion in an apartment block in Linköping on Tuesday morning. The blast blew the facade off the building and two women in their mid-20s received minor injuries, but otherwise no one was injured, said police.
The person, whose age and gender have not been disclosed, was brought into custody by police on Tuesday evening.
"Interrogations will now be held and after that the prosecutor will decide whether there are grounds to detain the person," write police.
Citing unconfirmed information, public radio broadcaster Ekot reported that the explosion was linked to the Foxtrot gang conflict.
Swedish vocabulary: facade – fasad
Turkey agrees to approve Sweden's Nato application in return for fighter jets
"If the USA keeps its promise, our parliament will keep its promise," Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, Reuters reports.
Erdogan recently said that the two events were not connected, and appeared to dislike the fact that US president Joe Biden had so clearly linked the purchase of F-16 fighter jets with Turkey's approval of Sweden's Nato application.
On Sunday, Turkey's parliament will open again after the summer break. Erdogan has previously promised to send Sweden's Nato application to parliament for ratification as soon as possible after parliament reconvenes.
However, Erdogan said at the end of the summer that he believes Sweden needs to do more.
"Our agreement in Vilnius was that ratification would occur as soon as possible," Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billström wrote in a written comment to TT newswire.
"We are assuming that it still applies."
Swedish vocabulary: fighter jets - stridsflygplan
Uppsala police: 'The danger is far from over'
Offensive police work has lessened the dramatic situation in Uppsala somewhat, after multiple gang-related crimes, but nearby Gävleborg region is seeing more issues, police said in a press conference.
Since midsummer, police in Uppsala have worked on 15 cases which can be tied to gang crime and other organised crime. Over 30 people are currently being held - half under the age of 18 - compared to just over 20 the week before.
"In Uppsala we haven't had any fatally violent incidents in the past week," said Christer Birgersson, commanding officer for the so-called 'special event' set up to tackle the wave of violent crime in Uppsala.
"But the danger is far from over."
Multiple large seizures of weapons, charges and drugs have been made, and there is now a clear police presence in vulnerable areas, which will continue for some time.
Swedish vocabulary: just over - drygt
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Police investigate after man in 60s shot north of Stockholm
Police are investigating attempted murder after a man in his 60s was found with gunshot wounds outside a house in Åkersberga, north of Stockholm.
The man was taken to hospital by helicopter and his injuries were described as serious, but he was awake and able to communicate with police when they arrived shortly after 10.30pm on Tuesday. No arrests had been made early on Wednesday morning.
Police told the Expressen newspaper it was too early to say whether the shooting was linked to an ongoing gang conflict in central Sweden.
The conflict, between Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid and his former right-hand man Ismail Abdo, has resulted in a spate of fatal shootings in recent weeks, particularly in Stockholm and Uppsala, targeting even relatives who are not themselves involved in gang crime.
Swedish vocabulary: too early – för tidigt
Suspect held over Linköping blast
One person is being held in connection with a huge explosion in an apartment block in Linköping on Tuesday morning. The blast blew the facade off the building and two women in their mid-20s received minor injuries, but otherwise no one was injured, said police.
The person, whose age and gender have not been disclosed, was brought into custody by police on Tuesday evening.
"Interrogations will now be held and after that the prosecutor will decide whether there are grounds to detain the person," write police.
Citing unconfirmed information, public radio broadcaster Ekot reported that the explosion was linked to the Foxtrot gang conflict.
Swedish vocabulary: facade – fasad
Turkey agrees to approve Sweden's Nato application in return for fighter jets
"If the USA keeps its promise, our parliament will keep its promise," Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, Reuters reports.
Erdogan recently said that the two events were not connected, and appeared to dislike the fact that US president Joe Biden had so clearly linked the purchase of F-16 fighter jets with Turkey's approval of Sweden's Nato application.
On Sunday, Turkey's parliament will open again after the summer break. Erdogan has previously promised to send Sweden's Nato application to parliament for ratification as soon as possible after parliament reconvenes.
However, Erdogan said at the end of the summer that he believes Sweden needs to do more.
"Our agreement in Vilnius was that ratification would occur as soon as possible," Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billström wrote in a written comment to TT newswire.
"We are assuming that it still applies."
Swedish vocabulary: fighter jets - stridsflygplan
Uppsala police: 'The danger is far from over'
Offensive police work has lessened the dramatic situation in Uppsala somewhat, after multiple gang-related crimes, but nearby Gävleborg region is seeing more issues, police said in a press conference.
Since midsummer, police in Uppsala have worked on 15 cases which can be tied to gang crime and other organised crime. Over 30 people are currently being held - half under the age of 18 - compared to just over 20 the week before.
"In Uppsala we haven't had any fatally violent incidents in the past week," said Christer Birgersson, commanding officer for the so-called 'special event' set up to tackle the wave of violent crime in Uppsala.
"But the danger is far from over."
Multiple large seizures of weapons, charges and drugs have been made, and there is now a clear police presence in vulnerable areas, which will continue for some time.
Swedish vocabulary: just over - drygt
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