4 wounded in shooting in Swedish city of Malmo
Local police say a recent surge in violence could be linked to a crackdown on organized crime in the city
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STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Four people were wounded Sunday evening in a shooting in Malmo, the country’s third-largest city, according to Swedish police.
Gunmen on motor scooters opened fire on a car they had been chasing through a neighborhood in southern Malmo, the local Newspaper Expressen said.
Police confirmed four people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds and that the gunmen were believed to have fled the scene on motor scooters. The victims’ conditions were not immediately clear.
Police said they were investigating the case as an attempted murder.
Like Sweden’s other major cities, Malmo has seen a rise in gun violence in the past decade, often connected to feuds between rival gangs.
Police say a recent surge in car fires in the city could be linked to a crackdown on organized crime.
About 30 cars have been set ablaze in the last week, when police arrested three men accused of suspected gangland attacks involving guns and explosives.
No injuries have been reported but the fires tie up police and rescue officials and frighten residents.
Police spokesman Lars Forstell said the fires were likely set in response to the arrests by “individuals who want to put us at work, so that we don’t focus on what they’re up to.”
Malmo firefighters say there have been about 200 car fires this year, up from 150 in all of 2015.
The Times of Israel Community.