Blasts and shots in Stockholm in latest swell in violence

A shooting and explosion were reported in Stockholm early on Friday as Sweden experiences a new wave of violence following last year's spike in deadly gun crime.

For the second night in a row, a flat in the capital's outlying district of Farsta was shot at, without anyone being injured.

A few hours earlier, an explosive charge went off in a stairwell in Årsta - also in the south of Stockholm. According to the Aftonbladet newspaper, remains of a hand grenade were found. No one was reported injured in the incident and no arrests were made.

Sweden has for several years been struggling with rampant gang crime, which has repeatedly manifested itself in shootings and explosions. In 2022, there were 388 shooting incidents in the EU country, resulting in the deaths of 61 people.

Stockholm has suffered from a noticeable increase in shootings and blasts since Christmas. The background to the incidents is suspected to be a conflict over the illegal drug trade in the city of Sundsvall, almost 400 kilometres to the north.

According to Aftonbladet and SVT radio reports, a 24-year-old with a criminal network is in charge there but is facing a challenge from a 36-year-old rival and his entourage. Several of the incidents are said to have targeted relatives of the two main actors in the conflict.