| Gothenburg car bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Date | 12 June 2015 |
Attack type | Car bombing |
| Deaths | 4 |
On 12 June 2015, four people, including a 4-year-old girl, were killed in a car bombing in Gothenburg, Sweden. [1] [2] The bombing was seen as part of the on-going gang conflicts in the city, as at least one of the victims was identified as a known gang leader. [3] [4]
On the Friday evening of 12 June, around 17:00 CEST, a car exploded near a roundabout in Torslanda, Gothenburg. [1] [5] Roads were thereafter closed off, and several witnesses who were in a state of shock were taken care of at a local church in Amhult. [6]
A pre-school child reported to have been one of four killed in the bombing was identified as a 4-year-old girl. [2] The girl was reportedly off on the Friday to go fishing with her father, a 29-year-old who also died in the bombing. [1] The car bombing took place amid an increase of homicides in Sweden, which was described as being "in an extreme situation" compared to other Nordic countries. [7] [8]
The attack was seen in the context of retaliatory revenge killings in Gothenburg in recent years. [9] [10] The bombing was in October 2015 changed to be investigated as suspected murder, after it was believed that a bomb had been deliberately placed in the car by people other than those present. [11] All three men were confirmed by police to have been connected to gang conflicts in the city. [4] A 32-year-old man who died in the bombing was confirmed to have been a known Gothenburg gang leader. [6] [11]
In January 2016, a person in their 20s was arrested in suspicion of complicity in the bombing. [5]