Life Sentence for Stockholm Gang-Related Murder and Rare Case of 12-Year-Old Suspect in Malmö Shooting

An 18-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Södertörns tingsrätt for a murder in Alby, southern Stockholm, that occurred on February 24. The murder victim was a 20-year-old man named Murad, who was mistakenly shot in what was intended as a hit ordered by the Foxtrotnätverket gang network. According to court details, the young shooter displayed extreme coldness and brutality, shooting Murad multiple times, including a fatal shot to the back of the head. Murad, described by his family as an ambitious and kind individual with no criminal ties, was shot outside his family home while returning from work. The shooter was recruited by the gang in January and the attack was planned through chats in February. He was arrested after a concerned taxi driver alerted the police.

Simultaneously, in Malmö, a highly unusual case has emerged involving a 12-year-old boy suspected of murder and three attempted murders. This marks the first time a suspect so young has been implicated in a shooting in Sweden. The victim was a 21-year-old man shot multiple times while sitting in a car in Oxie. Authorities also arrested two women in their twenties suspected of aiding and abetting the crime. The boy is reported to have been recruited by criminal elements and previously assigned murder tasks, facing threats for not completing earlier assignments. The murdered man had recently been released from prison for robbery, and the full circumstances and intended target remain unclear.

These cases highlight the increasing involvement of youths in gang-related violence in Sweden, with judicial authorities imposing the harshest sentences reflecting the severe impact of organized crime. The life sentence for the Stockholm murder was emphasized as warranted due to the offender's brutality and the gang-conflict context, which is considered an aggravating factor under Swedish law. The Malmö case is drawing significant attention due to the unprecedented age of the suspect and the involvement of women as accomplices.

Murad's father lamented the loss, describing his son’s dreams of learning to drive and studying IT, underscoring the senselessness of the crime and its devastating effect on innocent families. Meanwhile, authorities continue to investigate and pursue justice in this wave of gang-related violence affecting parts of Sweden.