Migrants warned as race-hate killer brings fear to Sweden [Malmo]
Migrants warned as race-hate killer brings fear to Sweden [Malmo] | Herald Sun
DARK-SKINNED residents of Sweden’s third-largest city were put on alert Thursday by police, who believe that a would-be serial killer is behind more than a dozen shootings targeting ethnic minorities.
A young woman has been killed and eight people wounded during 15 shootings in Malmo over the past year. In a city already plagued by racial tensions, police issued a direct warning to ethnic minorities.
“If you have dark skin, you should be extra cautious. If you are in the risk group - that is, being coloured - then you should avoid lonely places like bus stops at night,” said Lars-Haakan Lindholm, a police spokesman.
Some believe the shootings are linked to the rise of the far Right after the Sweden Democrat Party won its first seats in parliament last month on a platform of halting immigration.
Malmo, a city of 300,000 in southern Sweden, is home to a substantial ethnic minority community, including up to 500 Iraqis. It has long been a place where the streets have been disfigured by riots over immigrant rights.
The shootings started a year ago with the murder of Trez West Persson, a 20-year-old student with no known enemies. She was sitting in a car with a male friend from an ethnic minority who was also hit but survived.
“She was executed,” said Jimmy Persson, her father. “She called us from Malmo on the Friday night. She and a friend were going to the cinema. She was so happy and the last thing she said was that she was going to call us next day.”
It was never clear why she was killed. But the shootings continued in Malmo.