The Swedish military will provide support to the police to cope with the recent increase in murders among criminal gangs, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.

The president reported that the military would provide police with analytical and logistical assistance from next week, in addition to explosives management and forensic work.

Kristersson added The laws needed an update to allow greater military participation in security tasks.

This September Twelve people have been killed in gang violence in the country.

According to the newspaper Dagens Nyheter, it is the highest number since December 2019.

On Wednesday evening alone, three people were killed: two men were shot in Stockholm, and a woman – who police said was not linked to organized crime – died in the explosion of a device in her home about 80 km north of the capital.

The woman, identified by local media as Soha Saad, was 24 years old and had just been certified as a teacher. It is believed she was a neighbor of the target of the explosion.

The Swedish Prime Minister assured that an update of the laws is needed to tackle the threat of organized crime. Photo: EPA

Kristersson made the announcement after holding talks on Friday about the crisis with Swedish army chief Micael Byden, police chief Anders Thornberg and Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer.

Said the government would simply ask the military to assist police “in cases where the military’s specialized skills may be useful.”

“This could include a variety of things: assistance with explosives and helicopter logistics, analysis skills or technology forensics.”

The prime minister added that the country’s current legislation should be changed to “address the gray areas where it is not so clear what kind of threat Sweden is facing.”

Soha Saad, 24, was killed by an explosion in her home early Thursday morning. Photo: EPA

Power struggle

Swedish media have linked the recent spike in deaths to a conflict involving an organization known as the Foxtrot Network, which is embroiled in infighting who have divided it into two different factions.

On Thursday, Kristersson said Sweden had never seen anything like this and that “no other country in Europe” was experiencing this kind of situation.

Innocent people and children are increasingly becoming victims of violence.

Last year, more than 60 people were killed in shootings in Sweden – the highest number ever recorded – and this year is expected to be the same or even worse.

An official government report published in 2021 noted that 4 people per million inhabitants die in shootings every year in Sweden, compared to 1.6 per million in the rest of Europe.

The attacks reach several parts of the country, such as Linköping, in the south. Photo: EPA

Police have linked the violence to poor integration of immigrants, a widening gap between rich and poor, and drug use.

Kristersson’s center-right minority government, which came to power with the support of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party, has failed to quell the violence.

He has pledged to move forward with increased policing, tougher penalties for violating gun laws, stricter deportation powers and stop-and-frisk zones, insisting that “everything is on the table.”.

Some critics argue that the measures have failed to address the social causes of the situation, such as child poverty and inadequately funded community services. (JO)