Two wounded in shooting near mosque in Sweden
STOCKHOLM (AFP) Two people were wounded on Friday in a shooting near a mosque in the Swedish town of Orebro, an attack police said they believed was linked to feuding organised crime gangs.Local media quoted witnesses as saying at least one person was shot as he left the mosque.Police provided no details about the circumstances of the shooting, but urged the public to stay away from the scene as they searched for the shooter."We are currently actively pursuing the perpetrator or perpetrators," police spokesman Anders Dahlman told AFP."We are interviewing witnesses and carrying out our technical investigation," he said.One witness told Swedish public broadcaster SVT that he was standing just a few metres (yards) away from one of the men who was shot."He was on his way out of the mosque. Then another man came up and fired four or five shots," said the witness, whose name was not disclosed.Police would not confirm the age or gender of the two wounded, nor the severity of their condition. Both were transported to the hospital for care.The shooting occurred as people were leaving the mosque after Friday prayers, sparking panic as people ran from the scene, local media reported.
Organised Crime Link In a statement, police said they believed the incident was linked to Sweden's "criminal network milieu". Police spokesman Lars Hedelin told daily Aftonbladet the shooting was likely an "isolated incident" and not directed at the mosque itself.Police said they had opened a preliminary investigation into attempted murder.The Scandinavian country, once known for its low crime rates, has struggled for years to rein in organised crime.Criminal networks are involved in drug and arms trafficking, welfare fraud, and regular shootings and bombings that have plagued the country in recent years.
Police say the leaders of the criminal networks increasingly operate from abroad. They orchestrate murders and attacks via social media, often recruiting young children under the age of criminal responsibility to carry out the attacks.
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