By Eben Harrell and Behrang Kianzad / Malmö


Sweden's general election on Sept. 19 was an upheaval for a country known for its cozy, consensus politics. Despite having roots in the White Power movement — and running a highly xenophobic campaign — the Sweden Democrats became the first far-right party to enter Sweden's parliament when they won 6% of the vote. The result brought thousands onto the streets in anti-fascist protest marches, and sent national columnists into a heavy bout of Scandinavian soul-searching. But in the southeastern city of Malmö — where 30% of the population are immigrants or of immigrant descent — ethnic tensions took a darker turn.

On Nov. 7, police arrested a 38-year-old Swedish man in connection with a series of sniper attacks on Malmö's non-white population. Following the arrest, police say they are working on up to 15 unsolved shootings that they believe may have deliberately targeted people with immigrant backgrounds. The suspect has been remanded in connection with eight of the cases. A motive for the attacks has not been released by the police, but the suspect's father was quoted by the Aftonbladet newspaper on Monday as saying that his son "lived in fear of immigrants taking over Swedish society."