The Malmö shootings were a string of attacks by Peter Mangs, a
serial shooter
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
lone wolf
A lone wolf is a wolf not belonging to a pack.
Lone wolf or Lone Wolf may also refer to:
Literature
*''Lone Wolf'', a book by Kathryn Lasky, part of the series called ''Wolves of the Beyond''
*''Lone Wolf and Cub'', a 1970 Japanese graphic nov ...
terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
, also known as the Laser Man II, in the southern Swedish city of
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...
between December 2009 and October 2010. The shooter apparently targeted people with dark skin and non-Swedish appearance. As of 23 October 2010, as many as 15 shootings were linked to the same suspect.
Shootings
The attacks, carried out with a
9mm Glock 19
Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was the ...
handgun
A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ...
, started as early as in December 2009. At the same time, the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman in October 2009 has also been linked to the same perpetrator.
The woman was the only ethnically Swedish victim,
who was in the company of a friend of immigrant origin.
This murder has been linked to the other shootings through
forensic evidence
Forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts".
Hu ...
, showing that the weapon used was the same gun as the one used in several of the other attacks.
The attacks soon spread fear among the substantial immigrant population of Malmö. "Many people are frightened at the moment", said Tahmoures Yassami, the leader of the
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian-
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Association in Malmö, "especially families who have children."
The local police warned against panic, pointing out that the risk for any individual of being shot was very low.
At the same time, they cautioned people of ethnic minorities to avoid secluded areas after dark, which was when the attacks had been taking place.
Perpetrator
The shooter was compared to the likes of
John Ausonius
John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius (born Wolfgang Alexander Zaugg, 12 July 1953), known in the media as Lasermannen ("the Laser Man"), is a Swedish far-right extremist convicted of murder and bank robberies. Between August 1991 to January 1992 h ...
, dubbed the "Laser man", who committed similar crimes in 1991–92, targeting eleven men of immigrant origin in the
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
and
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...
area, killing one.
On 6 November 2010, Swedish police announced that they had arrested a man they suspected was the shooter.
According to Malmö police he was under suspicion of one murder and seven murder attempts. The man arrested was a 38-year-old Swedish man, Peter Mangs.
He expressed strong anti-immigrant sentiments and admiration for John Ausonius.
Just like Ausonius, Mangs had an immigrant background himself via a father born in
Närpes
Närpes (; fi, Närpiö ) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Eco ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. Mangs professed to feel alienated and frustrated with society. His lawyers argued that he had
Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...
.
Mangs suspected that he had the disorder since at least 2005, when he joined an association for people with Asperger syndrome, and was formally diagnosed in May 2009.
He had a very high score of 19 on the
Autistic Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
Mangs was found guilty on two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder, and given a life sentence.
The Scania and Blekinge
Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
denied an attempt by Mangs to overturn his sentence, convicting him of an additional three attempted murders, on 25 April 2013. A further request for appeal was denied by the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
in June of the same year.
List of suspected shootings
The following shootings have been connected to the same suspect:
#2003 - Mangs shot dead an Iranian man in his apartment.
#10 October 2009 – 20-year-old Trez West Persson is shot and killed while sitting in a car in
Västra Skrävlinge Kyrkoväg, near
Malmö Mosque
The Malmö Mosque () is the second oldest mosque in Sweden. It is located in Jägersro villastad, a neighbourhood in Husie, Malmö. It was inaugurated on 20 April 1984 and is administered by the organization Islamic Center. Adjacent to the mosqu ...
. Her 21-year-old friend, who is dark-skinned, is seriously injured.
#23 October 2009 – Several shots are fired against an apartment in Hyacintgatan.
#31 December 2009 – Shots are fired against the Malmö Mosque on Jägersrovägen. No one is hit, but an
imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
is injured in the neck by broken glass.
#25 January 2010 – A 17-year-old boy is shot in the chest and a 36-year-old man in the leg outside a store in Rasmusgatan. Police suspect the 17-year-old was the target, while the 36-year-old was shot by accident.
#12 March 2010 – Shots are fired against a house in Hårds väg. The target is probably the 22-year-old who escaped the attack on 10 October.
#16 March 2010 – A 21-year-old and a 22-year-old are attacked at close range while sitting in a car in Professorsgatan. The 22-year-old is hit several times, while the 21-year-old escapes unscathed.
#19 June 2010 – Three African men are shot at while exiting a taxi in Regementsgatan. One is hit, but receives only a burn wound.
#26 June 2010 – A 30-year-old man is shot through the window of a gym in Vendelfridsgatan. He is hit twice in the back.
#27 June 2010 – Only 40 minutes after the previous shooting, a 29-year-old is shot in the shoulder while sitting in a car in Munkhättegatan.
#24 August 2010 – A fast food restaurant in Köpenhamnsvägen is shot at. The bullet goes straight through the building and hits a car at the other side, but no one is hit. The owner claims to have seen a laser light immediately before the shot was fired.
#25 September 2010 – A 31-year-old man receives a flesh wound to the head when he is shot outside of the university hospital.
#10 October 2010 – A 47-year-old man is shot in the stomach at the bus stop by the intersection of Lönngatan and Norra Grängesbergsgatan. The bullet goes through his body, the injuries were serious.
#19 October 2010 – In an incident similar to the one of 10 October, a 28-year-old man is shot in the back at close range while waiting for the bus by Eriksfältsgatan. The bullet pierces the victim's lung, leaving serious damage.
#21 October 2010 – A 16-year-old boy is fired at by Hermodalstorget, but he is not hit.
#21 October 2010 – On the same night, two women are shot through a window in Kroksbäck.
References
Literature
*
*
External links
Skjutningarna i Malmö archive copy of site by the
Swedish police
The Swedish Police Authority ( sv, Polismyndigheten) is the national police force (''Polisen'') of the Kingdom of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under loc ...
(in Swedish).
Map of recent shootings in Malmö created by
Sydsvenska Dagbladet
''Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällposten'', generally known simply as ''Sydsvenskan'' (, ''The South Swedish''), is a daily newspaper published in Scania in Sweden.
History and profile
''Sydsvenskan'' was founded in 1870. In 1871 the paper merged ...
(in Swedish).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malmo shootings
Anti-Muslim violence in Europe
2009 murders in Sweden
2010 murders in Sweden
2000s in Malmö
2010s in Malmö
Deaths by firearm in Sweden
Hate crimes
Murder in Sweden
Racism in Sweden
Spree shootings in Sweden
Criminal snipers
sv:Peter Mangs