Gang-Related Violence Strikes Central Sweden After Mosque Shooting

In a suspected gang-related incident, a shooting outside a mosque in Örebro, central Sweden, on Friday resulted in one fatality and another injury. The incident unfolded in the mosque's parking lot shortly after Friday prayers, according to the police.

The victim, a 25-year-old man, was fatally shot while leaving the mosque, and another man in his 20s was injured. Emergency services rushed to the scene, prompting police to advise the public to steer clear of the area. Witnesses reported at least one perpetrator escaping the location, said local police chief Roberto Eid Forest during a press briefing.

Authorities are treating the case as murder, attempted murder, and aggravated weapons offences, suspecting the motivation behind the crime stems from gang rivalries. Sweden has long struggled with gang violence, with criminal organizations notoriously recruiting youths from marginalized immigrant communities for illicit activities, highlighted by recent tensions between Örebro's rival gangs, reported local TV channel TV4.

(With inputs from agencies.)