Sweden stunned by new deadly gun attack
Gunfire erupted in the centre of Uppsala a day before a spring festival which draws more than 100,000 people to the city, some 60 kilometres north of Stockholm.
Police, who confirmed three dead, said the attack was staged by a masked gunman. Media reports said at least one suspect escaped on an electric scooter after the early evening shootout.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer called the killings "extremely serious" but police would not say if it was the latest episode in a long-running gang war. Sweden is also recovering from its worst mass shooting in February.
"We have three people confirmed dead, but we have not confirmed their identities," police spokesman Magnus Jansson Klarin told AFP.
"We received reports of a masked person on an electric scooter, we are looking into those reports," he said, adding that door-to-door inquiries were being carried out around the scene of the shooting.
Swedish media said witnesses heard several shots at a hair salon in the centre of the city.
The SVT public broadcaster said one of the dead had been a suspect in an investigation into a planned attack against a relative of a gang leader, Ismail Abdo.
"It's normally a quiet neighbourhood, I do my shopping here every day," Elias Sundgren, a student at the local university, told AFP.
Uppsala's mayor Erik Pelling told AFP he was "shocked and dismayed" by events.
"I am also angry that it could happen," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
6 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Key Somalia town of Maxaas falls to Al-Shabaab
MOGADISHU - Islamist militants took control of the strategic town of Maxaas in central Somalia on Sunday after heavy fighting with the army and local militias, military sources said. The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab has taken dozens of towns and villages since launching an offensive early this year, reversing almost all of the gains made by the government in its own military campaign in 2022 and 2023. In a statement, Al-Shabaab said it had taken the town of Maxaas, around 300 kilometres (186 miles) from the capital Mogadishu, which is considered a strategic hub for transport and logistics in the central region. Members of the Somali National Army confirmed the fall of Maxaas, though claimed it was a "tactical retreat". Mohamed Dahir, an army commander in the area, told AFP that Al-Shabaab had attacked with "car bombs and hundreds of heavily armed" fighters early on Sunday. "The brave members of the Somali army and the local community militias fought them fiercely outside town before making a tactical retreat to pre-established defensive positions outside town," he said by phone. Maxaas had been held by Ethiopian troops, part of the African Union's security force, until they handed over the military base to the Somali National Army in August 2024. The government had also relied on the support of local militias opposed to Al-Shabaab. "Al-Shabab militants managed to enter the town after heavy fighting this morning," Ali Hayo, a local militia fighter told AFP by phone, speaking from a nearby location. "There is still sporadic gunfire outside town, but I can confirm that the terrorists are now controlling Maxaas. "The fighting is not over, we are still close to the town, and we are expecting to engage in counteroffensives," he said.
Eyewitness News
6 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel says opening aid routes
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories- Jordanian and Emirati planes dropped food into Gaza on Sunday, as Israel began a limited "tactical pause" in military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. The Israeli military said it had also begun airdropping food into the Palestinian territory -- making one drop of seven palettes -- while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected what he characterised as UN "lies" that his government was to blame for the dire humanitarian situation. The army also dismissed allegations that it had been using starvation as a weapon, saying it had coordinated with the UN and international agencies to "increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip". UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher welcomed the tactical pauses, saying he was in "contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window". But the UN's World Food Programme said a third of the population of Gaza had not eaten for days, and 470,000 people were "enduring famine-like conditions" that were already leading to deaths. The Israeli decision came as international pressure mounted on Netanyahu's government to head off the risk of mass starvation in the territory. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined the chorus of concern on Sunday, urging Netanyahu "to provide the starving civilian population in Gaza with urgently needed humanitarian aid now." Accusing the UN of fabricating "pretexts and lies about Israel" blocking aid, Netanyahu said in remarks at an airbase that "there are secure routes" for aid. "There have always been, but today it's official. There will be no more excuses," he added. Since Israel imposed a total blockade on aid entering Gaza on March 2, the situation inside the territory has deteriorated sharply. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of "mass starvation". Though aid has trickled back in since late May, the UN and humanitarian agencies say Israeli restrictions remain excessive and road access inside Gaza is tightly controlled. 'LIFE'S WISH' The Jordanian military said its planes, working with the United Arab Emirates, had delivered 25 tonnes of aid in three parachute drops over Gaza on Sunday. Truckloads of flour were also seen arriving in northern Gaza through the Zikim area crossing from Israel, according to AFP journalists. The charity Oxfam's regional policy chief Bushra Khalidi called Israel's latest moves a "welcome first step" but warned they could prove insufficient. "Starvation won't be solved by a few trucks or airdrops," she said. "What's needed is a real humanitarian response: ceasefire, full access, all crossings open, and a steady, large-scale flow of aid into Gaza. "We need a permanent ceasefire, a complete lifting of the siege." In general, humanitarian officials are deeply sceptical airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. In Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district, 30-year-old Suad Ishtaywi said her "life's wish" was to simply feed her children. She spoke of her husband returning empty-handed from aid points daily. Chaotic scenes broke out at the site where Israel conducted its first food drop, witnesses told AFP. Samih Humeid, a 23-year-old from the Al-Karama neighbourhood of Gaza City, said dozens of people had gathered to rush towards the palettes of supplies parachuted onto the area. "It felt like a war, everyone trying to grab whatever they could. Hunger is merciless. The quantities were extremely limited, not enough even for a few people, because hunger is everywhere. I only managed to get three cans of fava beans," he said. In a social media post, the Israeli military announced it had "carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip". AFP journalists saw Egyptian trucks crossing from Rafah, with cargo routed through Israel's Kerem Shalom checkpoint for inspection before entering Gaza. The Israeli army's daily pause from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm will be limited to areas where its troops are not currently operating -- Al-Mawasi in the south, central Deir el-Balah and Gaza City in the north. Israel said "designated secure routes" would also open across Gaza for aid convoys carrying food and medicine. The military said the measures should disprove "the false claim of deliberate starvation". Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, citing "reasonable grounds" to suspect war crimes, including starvation -- charges Israel vehemently denies. ACTIVISTS INTERCEPTED On Sunday, according to the Gaza civil defence agency, Israeli army fire killed 27 Palestinians, 12 of them near aid distribution areas. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Separately, the Israeli navy brought an activist boat, the Handala operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, into the part of Ashdod, after intercepting and boarding it late Saturday to prevent it attempting to breach a maritime blockade of Gaza. The legal rights centre Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod and had met with 19 of the 21 detained activists and journalists from 10 countries. The other two detainees, dual US-Israeli nationals, had been transferred to Israeli police custody, the group said. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
48 hours in pictures, 27 July 2025
48 hours in pictures, 27 July 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Grace Caitlin Brammer of South Africa competes during the Women's 1m Springboard Diving preliminaries at the World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025 in Singapore, 26 July 2025. Picture: EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT US President Donald Trump reacts as he plays golf at the Trump Turnberry Golf Courses, in Turnberry on the south west coast of Scotland on July 27, 2025, during the third day of his visit to the country, since his second tenure as President began. Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen are set to meet later on July 27, in a decisive push to resolve a months-long transatlantic trade standoff with the US leader putting the chances of a deal at one in two. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) Women sit at a makeshift camp for civilians displaced amidst clashes along the disputed Thai-Cambodian border, in the Oddar Meanchey province, northwest of Cambodia, 27 July 2025. Fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces continued on 27 July, marking the fourth consecutive day of border clashes. According to a Cambodia's Ministry of Defence spokesperson, the conflict has displaced more than 80,000 people in Cambodia, shutting down hundreds of schools across several provinces. Picture: EPA/KITH SEREY A participant wears a shirt that shows clergy licking a candle during the 'CSD Berlin 2025,' the Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin, Germany, 26 July 2025. The 47th Christopher Street Day takes place under the motto 'Never be silent again!'. Picture: EPA/CLEMENS BILAN Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in the northern part of the Gaza Strip near Beit Hanoun, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, 27 July 2025. Picture: EPA/ATEF SAFADI Protesters take to the Hyde Park and the CBD streets during a rally against the Israeli invasion of Gaza, in Sydney, Australia, 27 July 2025. Picture: EPA/DEAN LEWINS Demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants since the 2023 October 7 attacks, outside the US embassy branch office in Tel Aviv on July 26, 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) Sheriff Knight (C), the dancing Cowboy, leads the line dance during the International Cowboy Day at Ngong race course in Nairobi on July 26, 2025. Country music have a loyal fan base in Kenya and the popularity of the music continuing to grow, the event was celebrated by hundreds of attendees with a collective of country artists performing. The headline of the event was Sir Elvis, Kenya's biggest country star. (Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd / AFP) Parktown Girls marimba band performs at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival Jazz for Young People at the National School of Arts In Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 26 July 2025. The concert dedicated to celebrating young jazz lovers while raising funds for the National School of Arts (NSA). Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen Jonathan Roxmouth performs in his 'My Favourite Broadway' show, 25 July 2025, at The Teatro at Montecasino in show sees him performing some of Broadway's most compelling anthems and showstoppers. He is accompanied by the newly-formed 32-piece Egoli Symphonic Orchestra, conducted by Maetsro Adam Howard. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen Joburg Zoo aquarist Peter Baloi is seen scuba diving in the zoo's walk-through tunnel tank, 26 June 2025, during an event inviting youngsters to find out what a career as an aquarist would involve. The presentations hoped to inspire attendees to consider careers in marine biology, zoology and diving. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen A man stands before one of the 'water spray fans' placed along the side of a the road on al-Sinak street in central Baghdad amid rising temperatures on July 27, 2027 during a severe heatwave. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) Vaisnava Community members celebrate the festival called Padayatra in honour of Srila Prabhupadas the 50th Anniversary in Braamfontein in Johannesburg, 26 July 2025, after his visit to South Africa. Srila Prabhupada is the founder of the Hare Krishna Movement started in New York in 1966. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen A group of DC cosplayers pose for a group photo during Day 3 of 2025 Comic-Con International on July 26, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by) Firefighters and volunteers battle a wildfire in the area of Kryoneri, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece, 26 July 2025. Firefighting forces are battling the wildfire that broke out in Kryoneri, Attica. According to the Fire Service, the fire is considered difficult as it is spreading through a mixed area of forest and residential zones. There are reports of damage to homes, and some have been engulfed in flames. Picture: EPA/YANNIS KOLESIDIS MORE PICTURES: Decorex Joburg a feast for design and art lovers
