The number of organized criminal groups operating in the country continues to rise.
[1] Since the 2000s, street gangs in predominantly immigrant suburbs of large cities have become more involved in organized crime including shootings and bombings, with 80% of shootings in Sweden occurring in a “criminal environment” mostly in disadvantaged immigrant neighborhoods according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (2022).
[1] In 2021 the popular Swedish teen rapper Einar was shot several times and killed in a suburb of Stockholm.
[2] Sweden’s then National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg told the Financial Times the rising gang violence in Sweden could potentially be a “threat” to its democracy if “certain groups” continue to “stand outside” of society, referring to immigrants in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
[1] Outlaw motorcycle groups such as the Hells Angels and Bandidos are well-established in Sweden.