Friday, June 27, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Sweden Under Siege: Daily blasts rock Swedish cities amid gang turmoil

Deteriorating safety

Published 8 February 2024
– By Editorial Staff
There seems to be no end to the bombings in Sweden.
5 minute read

Criminal gangs continue to spread terror in Sweden. So far in February there have been daily explosions linked to organized crime.

As people have their homes blown up and are forced to flee in the middle of the night, neither the police nor the government can give clear answers on how to put a stop to the violence.

On February 1, a hand grenade was discovered in an apartment building in the violence-prone district of Gränby in Uppsala, 70 kilometers north of Stockholm. As the grenade was discovered before it was detonated, the police bomb squad was able to destroy it in a controlled explosion.

The police were able to confirm that the grenade was live, and the public within a one-kilometer radius was ordered to stay indoors.

– There was a very loud bang and I got scared, one resident told the Schibsted-owned tabloid Aftonbladet.

The incident is not being investigated as an attempted murder, but as an attempt at general destruction and a violation of the law on flammable and explosive goods.

Sundbyberg

On the night of February 2, it happened again – this time in Sundbyberg, ten kilometers northwest of Stockholm. Several apartments were damaged in a massive explosion, windows were shattered and the door to the apartment was blown away.

–  I saw how the paintings were hanging askew and became interested in what the rest of the place looked like. Then I went to the living room and saw that the balcony window was gone, says 87-year-old Gudrun, who was woken up by the explosion.

Several residents describe feeling unsafe in their neighborhood and fearing more explosions in the future.

– You get desperate and angry. It’s so unnecessary, says a woman who lives in the area.

Vällingby

About 24 hours later, another explosion occurred – this time in an industrial area in Vällingby, about 8 kilometers west of Sundbyberg. Shortly before midnight, an explosion targeted a hairdressing salon, where the door and windows were badly damaged. No one was reportedly injured in the attack.

– It was really unpleasant. I was sitting on the couch and everything was vibrating. It was a very loud bang, a woman in Vällingby told the Schibsted-owned tabloid Aftonbladet.

Sometimes people think we have a civil war in Sweden“, writes ‘Leijf’ on Twitter/X.

Here, too, tenants express concern that they do not know when it will “go off” next, and that this is something that affects their entire daily lives.

– I was out walking when I heard the explosion. I felt the shock wave, says another resident of the area.

Gävle

Late on February 4, an explosive device detonated in a stairwell in Andersberg, Gävle (approximately 170 kilometers north of Stockholm), again in an apartment building. The interior of the building was damaged and the apartment door was destroyed.

The attack is said to be related to a gang conflict between two criminal gangs, the Foxtrot Network and the Dalen Network, and to the drug market in the area.

After the explosion, residents were not allowed to leave their homes for the entire day before police were able to lift the lockdown.

– We have several leads and are actively working to find the perpetrator, police spokesman Mattias Rutegård told local newspaper Gefle Dagblad.

Handen

About 24 hours later, another attack took place – this time in Handen, 22 kilometers south of Stockholm, also at night.

An explosion also occurred at an apartment building where a known gang member is registered – again, no one was reportedly injured, but a number of windows were shattered and the property was damaged.

“You read about explosions every day. You’d think they’re talking about yesterday’s blast, but it’s a new one. Journalists could make a template, a ready-made article, and just insert the current time and location of today’s blast”, writes ‘Urban II’ on Twitter/X.

The criminal living at the address was recently arrested on suspicion of instigating a murder in Jordbro, Haninge, and another attempted murder in Åkersberga.

– I woke up frightened by the bang. I woke my partner and checked on the sleeping children. I crawled around the apartment to check that the front door was locked and that the windows were undamaged, a neighbor told the taxpayer-funded SVT.

Strängnäs

In the early hours of Tuesday, February 6, the terror continued – this time in Finninge, Strängnäs.

Shortly after four o’clock in the morning, the police were alerted to an explosion in a residential area. The bomb squad was called in, a large area was cordoned off and about 20 people were forced to evacuate their homes.

The building was not seriously damaged, but the frightened residents needed crisis support and had to go to a school building that had been opened specifically to care for the temporarily homeless.

“I am thinking of all the residents of Strängnäs in Dammen and Finninge who had to leave their homes at 4 a.m. last night, some of them by climbing out of windows. I know that many people are now helping you and I hope that you will soon be able to return home”, Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson wrote on social media.

The Kurdish Fox

All of the bombings are believed to be linked to organized crime, with at least four of them targeting the Kurdish Fox and the notorious Foxtrot network.

“The ‘Kurdish Fox’ has long used young teenage boys in his activities. Montage. Photo: Pexels, Police

According to taxpayer-funded state media SVT, in several cases the bombings have targeted the homes of people already in custody – meaning that it is not the gang members themselves who are at risk of being killed, but their neighbors and relatives.

In several cases, bombings have also targeted family members of known criminals, although there is no evidence that the gang member himself is present.

It remains to be seen whether explosions will continue on a daily basis for the rest of February, but police officers say they are working hard to stem the tide of violence.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

Chaos at French festival – over 140 attacked with syringes

Deteriorating safety

Published 23 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The Fête de la Musique is usually described as one of France's biggest folk festivals - but this year it was a nightmare.
3 minute read

France’s annual music festival, Fête de la Musique, turned into chaos when over 140 people were reportedly attacked with syringes in several parts of the country over the weekend. At the same time, there were reports of violent riots, injured police officers, and hundreds of arrests.

WARNING: This article contains disturbing images and video clips.

The traditional Fête de la Musique, which every year attracts millions of people to streets and squares across France, had a grim aftermath this year.

According to information from French authorities and several media outlets, at least 145 people reported being stabbed or stabbed with syringes during the festival last weekend.

The attacks are said to have taken place in various locations around the country, including Paris, Metz, and other major cities.

Assaults, smoke bombs, and chaos

Several witnesses describe chaotic scenes with fights, smoke bombs, and panic among festival-goers. Video clips shared on social media show people being kicked while lying on the ground and large crowds being dispersed by police.

The police confirm that they have received a large number of reports of suspected syringe attacks, but emphasize that it is still unclear exactly what was injected – or whether the syringes contained any dangerous substances at all.

Several of those affected were taken to hospital for examination and toxicological tests, but the results have not yet been made public. According to reports, dozens of police officers were injured during the unrest.

Hundreds arrested

According to the French Ministry of the Interior, twelve people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the syringe attacks. At the same time, it is reported that around 370 people have been arrested for other crimes related to the festival, including violent crimes, vandalism, and disorderly conduct.

Fête de la Musique has been held since 1982 and is one of France’s largest public festivals, where both amateur and professional musicians perform in streets and squares.

However, this year’s event was marred by unusual and serious acts of violence, which have raised concerns and sparked debate about security at large public events.

The police are continuing their investigation to determine the motives, extent, and possible risks to those affected.

The authorities are urging anyone who suspects they have been attacked to seek medical attention immediately and contact the police.

Swedish police ignored early warnings about Foxtrot – now 16 civilians are dead

Deteriorating safety

Published 23 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
If early warnings had been taken seriously, the Foxtrot network could have been tackled at an earlier stage.
2 minute read

Despite the Swedish police raising the alarm about the growing Foxtrot gang network back in 2021, the leadership chose not to act. Today, the network is linked to over 30 murders – at least 16 of which were completely unrelated civilians.

The documentary series En gång bröder (Once Brothers) reveals that a special police investigation team identified Foxtrot four years ago as a rapidly expanding group with a high propensity for violence.

According to the head of intelligence at the police, Jale Poljarevius, the group sounded the alarm early on – but the alarm was deprioritized in favor of other gangs.

If we could turn back time, we would have quickly redirected our efforts in this direction, Poljarevius told state broadcaster SVT, admitting that Foxtrot had long been off the police’s radar.

It was only after several high-profile murders in 2022 that Foxtrot began to come under police scrutiny. According to the documentary, the network has since been linked to over 30 murders, at least 16 of which were innocent civilians with no gang connections.

Rawa Majid Foxtrot Interpol
Rawa Majid is wanted internationally by Interpol. Photo: screenshot/Interpol.int

Division escalates the spiral of violence

The division within Foxtrot in September 2023 marked a new level of violence. One faction, led by the internationally wanted Rawa Majid – also known as “Jordgubben” (Strawberry) – is suspected of, among other things, the murder of Ismail Abdo’s mother, which further escalated the conflict.

During the summer of 2023, Swedish police managed to infiltrate the network using encrypted chat groups such as the Signal app. This breakthrough led to several arrests and indictments against a number of people in Foxtrot’s top echelons, including for particularly serious drug offenses.

Despite this, the violence continues. According to SVT’s information, the network has also expanded to Norway, where Swedish gang crime has become a growing problem.

At the time of writing, National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg has declined to comment on the investigation.

Facts: The Foxtrot gang network

  • Leader: Rawa Majid, known as “Jordgubben” (Strawberry), wanted by Swedish police and residing in Turkey
  • Start: The network was identified by Swedish police as early as 2021 as an emerging player
  • Activities: Suspected of being behind extensive drug trafficking, extortion, and contract killings
  • Murders: Linked to over 30 murders – at least 16 of the victims were innocent civilians
  • Division: In September 2023, an internal conflict broke out, leading to further acts of violence
  • International spread: Has established a presence in Norway, among other countries
  • Infiltration: Swedish police infiltrated Foxtrot via encrypted chat groups during the summer of 2023

Police warn of growing innocent victims in Sweden’s gang conflict

organized crime

Published 12 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In many cases, offenders are young, under the influence of drugs and do not know their victims - and there is a high risk of selecting the "wrong" target.
2 minute read

It has often been claimed that the victims of criminal gang violence are almost always involved in organized crime themselves. But according to the Swedish police, that picture is now wrong.

Since the beginning of 2023 alone, at least 60 outsiders have been killed or injured in shootings and explosions linked to criminal networks

– This is an effect of the high level of conflict, which has been the case for a number of years. We believe it will continue to be high, August Knutsson, operational coordinator at the police’s national operations center, told Swedish Radio.

According to police figures, 22 outsiders have been killed and another 38 injured in gang-related attacks over the past two and a half years.

In some cases, the violence has been directed against relatives of known criminals such as relatives or girlfriends but there are also cases where the wrong person is killed by mistake, or someone is injured simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In 2023 in particular, the number of external victims increased sharply, and although the trend seems to have slowed down somewhat, police have already recorded at least six cases in 2025.

Young people and drug addicts

According to the police, a key explanation for the increase in the number of innocent victims is that the killings and blasts are largely carried out by very young people often with no previous experience, and sometimes brought in from other cities.

The young perpetrators have no relationship with their victims and often act on vague instructions. In many cases, they have only seen a picture of the target or an address, which increases the risk of misidentification and attacks against the wrong people.

– This is an effect of the fact that many of the perpetrators of these crimes are not part of the conflict itself. Many are young perpetrators who take on different missions. Often under the influence of drugs, with little local knowledge and no individual knowledge, states August Knutsson.

– They’re given a task to carry out, and that results in a high risk of shooting or bombing the wrong target.

“In the past, you did not go to relatives”

One of the more high-profile cases occurred at the end of April this year, when a mother and her young daughter were seriously injured in an explosion at their home. According to prosecutor Daniel Insulander, the attack was aimed at the wrong person.

– They are innocent. In the past, you did not go after relatives or girlfriends. It was very rare that innocent people became victims of something like this.

– Storming into a place and shooting wildly, throwing explosives inside, or trying to burn down a house where innocent people are present – this has become much more common now than just five years ago, he says.

Swedish grandmother jailed for selling home-baked goods on Facebook

Deteriorating safety

Published 29 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The buns in the photo have no connection to the serious crime in question.
2 minute read

A bun-baking grandmother in Norrbotten has been sentenced to prison by the Court of Appeal for selling homemade buns without a permit. While the court takes her unauthorized baked goods seriously, many are questioning whether Swedish courts have time to knead such trivial matters.

A 65-year-old woman in Norrbotten has been sentenced to six weeks in prison for selling buns, bread, and sandwich cakes via Facebook without a registered food business, according to a ruling from the Court of Appeal for Northern Norrland, reports Bonnier-owned Expressen.

The municipality had prohibited the sales and issued fines totaling SEK 130,000 (€12,000), which the woman, living on a pensioner’s income, could not pay. The fine was therefore converted into a prison sentence – a penalty her lawyer calls “unreasonable”.

For several years, the woman has been running the business and engaging many customers on social media by posting pictures of her baked goods and her grandchildren.

Translation of above tweet: “Yes, it’s okay to use heavy-handed tactics when the other side isn’t violent. It sends a good signal to citizens that no one should think that crimes that threaten the system will go unpunished“.

Appealed to the Supreme Court

Attorney Frida Larsson stresses that the woman considered baking a hobby, often giving away buns to her grandchildren and charging only a minimal amount to cover ingredient costs.

Nonetheless, the Court of Appeal chose to swiftly impose a prison sentence, despite her health issues and financial hardship.

She is deeply distressed and does not understand how she will endure a prison term given her deteriorating health and age. This has taken a heavy toll on her, Larsson says.

The ruling has sparked public outrage and is being appealed to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the question remains: Is prison truly the right recipe for justice in this case?

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.