Post date: Oct 24, 2010 7:52:43 PM
Police in the southern Swedish city of Malmo are investigating what they say is the latest in a string of shootings targeting immigrants.
MALMO, SWEDEN (OCTOBER 24, 2010) REUTERS - A shooting reported on Sunday (October 24) was the latest in a series in the southern city of Malmo, where police suspect immigrants may be the target of the attacks.
The police confirmed the shooting in a Malmo suburb and are investigating.
"The last shooting was about midnight. Someone heard a noise and then they went to bed and this morning they could see that the windows were damaged and they phoned the police. We were there in the middle of the day and we did a technical investigation," Malmo police spokeswoman Ewa-Gun Westford said.
She said the police believe there is a link between the nineteen shootings over the past year.
"We could say yes, there has been another shooting. So now we have nineteen shootings that we can say are together - we think there is some connection between them," she said.
Westford said that although the police did not have any proof of a connection, the shootings were being treated as if there was a link.
"Now there is one shooting every night, every evening so just as (Ed note: even though) we don't have any special proof for it, we take them under the same hat," she said.
Police said there was a bullet hole in the balcony window and in a curtain.
The family that lives on that floor has an immigrant background.
Police said they had secured some "finds" but did not confirm whether it was a bullet.
Immigrants have been urged to be extra careful.
"Whenever there is some noise people phone us and they are very, very afraid so whenever we have something we go there and talk to people and look after them," she said.
The man who reported the incident said he had thought it was fireworks, but later discovered the bullet hole.
Neighbour Bengt Nilsson said he heard shots shortly after he went to bed.
"It's very unsettling. We've never experienced anything like this here before so it feels very unpleasant. And then one remembers what has happened in town, that there are shootings - around the same time of the day," he said.
There has been growing tension over immigration policy in Sweden, where an anti-immigration party won enough votes to gain its first seats in parliament in an election last month.