Two people were wounded Friday in a shooting near a mosque in the Swedish town of Orebro, an attack police said they believed was linked to feuding organised crime gangs.
Local media quoted witnesses as saying at least one person was shot as he left the mosque.
Police provided no details about the circumstances of the shooting, but urged the public to stay away from the scene as they searched for the shooter. 鈥榃e are currently actively pursuing the perpetrator or perpetrators,鈥� police spokesman Anders Dahlman said.
鈥榃e are interviewing witnesses and carrying out our technical investigation,鈥� he said.
One witness told Swedish public broadcaster SVT that he was standing just a few metres away from one of the men who was shot.
鈥楬e was on his way out of the mosque. Then another man came up and fired four, five shots,鈥� said the witness.
Police would not confirm the age or gender of the two wounded, nor the severity of their condition. Both were transported to hospital for care.
The shooting occurred as people were leaving the mosque after Friday prayers, sparking panic as people ran from the scene, local media reported.
In a statement, police said they believed the incident was linked to Sweden鈥檚 鈥榗riminal network milieu鈥�.
Police spokesman Lars Hedelin told daily Aftonbladet the shooting was likely an 鈥榠solated incident鈥� and not directed at the mosque itself.
Police said they had opened a preliminary investigation into attempted murder.
The Scandinavian country, once known for its low crime rates, has struggled for years to rein in organised crime.
Criminal networks are involved in drug and arms trafficking, welfare fraud, and regular shootings and bombings that have plagued the country in recent years.
Police say the leaders of the criminal networks increasingly operate from abroad. They orchestrate murders and attacks via social media, often recruiting young children under the age of criminal responsibility to carry out the attacks.
According to global database Statista, Sweden had the third highest number of homicides involving firearms per 1,00,000 inhabitants in Europe in 2022, behind Montenegro and Albania.
Data from Sweden鈥檚 National Council for Crime Prevention show that while shootings have declined since the peak year 2022, the number of explosions has increased.
The town of Orebro was the scene of a school shooting in February in which 11 people were killed, including the perpetrator.
