Sweden’s former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson wants the army sent in to quash a rising tide of gang violence in the country.
In the past 24 hours, three people died in shootings and bombings, Swedish news media reported.
Andersson, from the opposition center-left Social Democrats, suggested Thursday to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet: “Surveillance performed by police officers could be carried out by the military. In addition, there is technical know-how with the military that they could assist with.”
Two men were shot Thursday at different locations close to Stockholm, and police arrested two people after a 25-year-old woman died during a powerful explosion in a residential area close to Uppsala. According to local media, authorities believe the blast was related to conflict between gangs and the woman was not the intended target.
In its fight against gang violence, Sweden could also ask Norway, Denmark or Finland for additional police support, Andersson added.
Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, from the center-right Moderate Party, finds the idea of deploying the military an “interesting thought,” public broadcaster SVT reported.
“We are in a situation where there is room for interaction between different authorities, even authorities that have not worked together before,” Strömmer added.
Defense Minister Pål Jonson, also from the Moderates, said deploying the military was not currently on the agenda. “There are no such plans currently,” he said.
