Shooting at Victim While Traveling by Car
Placed in Protective Facility Due to Age Below Criminal Responsibility
In Sweden, a shocking incident occurred in which a 12-year-old boy, who was paid 20,000 pounds (approximately 39.5 million won), participated in a contract killing but ended up murdering the wrong person. While it is known that in countries like Mexico and Colombia, drug cartels sometimes recruit young boys as contract killers (sicarios), the fact that such a crime took place in Sweden, often referred to as a welfare paradise, has caused even greater shock.
Promotional photo by the Swedish Police Authority, unrelated to the article content. Swedish Police Authority
According to reports by the Daily Mail and other British media outlets on December 17 (local time), the incident took place on December 12 in Malm?, southern Sweden. The victim was a 21-year-old man who, along with his friends, was traveling in an Audi at around 10:30 p.m. that night.
Police received a report of a shooting around 11 p.m. The victim, who was sitting in the back seat and was shot, was transported to the hospital but was soon pronounced dead. During the investigation, police identified a 12-year-old boy, referred to as "A," as the suspect and detained him on December 16. Since A is under the age of criminal responsibility, he was placed in a protective facility. However, Caroline Calquist, the prosecutor in charge of the case, decided to proceed with indictment procedures against A due to the seriousness of the charges.
Prosecutor in Charge: "Proceeding with Indictment Due to Seriousness of Charges"
A is from central Sweden and was found to have been assigned multiple assassination missions. He has lived with his grandmother since the age of seven due to abuse and violence from his parents. Local media reported that A is currently the youngest person in Sweden to be accused of committing a fatal shooting.
Regarding this, Rasem Chebil, head of investigations at Malm? Police, who is leading the case, expressed concern over the increasing number of minors among perpetrators of violent crimes. In an interview with local media, he said, "The age range of offenders is getting younger, and we are struggling to figure out how to stop this trend." He blamed social networking services (SNS) as a cause for the rise in teenage murderers in Sweden. Chebil pointed out, "Teenagers are scouted by strangers via mobile phones and soon find themselves under the control of those committing serious acts of violence."
Promotional photo by the Swedish Police Authority, unrelated to the article content. Swedish Police Authority
According to reports, as of 2022, 73 young people aged 15 to 20 in Sweden were suspected of murder or attempted murder using firearms, a figure that has increased more than sevenfold from 10 cases ten years ago. The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) also stated that Sweden has the highest rate of youth gang participation among Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway.
In 2023, Sweden, with a population of just 10.6 million, recorded 363 shooting incidents resulting in 55 deaths. In contrast, during the same period, there were only six fatal shootings combined in Norway, Finland, and Denmark.
Evin Cetin, author of a book on youth gangs and a former Swedish lawyer, argued that minors are recruited as assassins because they are not on the police's watch list. He said, "Many children start with small-scale drug dealing at the age of 12 or 13 and go on to work as contract killers," comparing them to child soldiers in ISIS and certain regions of Africa. Cetin pointed out, "Adults are manipulating and exploiting young offenders," adding, "It is frightening how easy it is to control these children and how quickly they can be brought under control."
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