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Third death from knife violence in Gothenburg in two weeks

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Third death from knife violence in Gothenburg in two weeks
Police pictured during an investigation after a previous stabbing on the outskirts of Gothenburg. File photo: Björn Larson Rosvall / TT

A man died in Gothenburg after being found with knife wounds on Monday, marking the third deadly stabbing in the western Swedish city in just two weeks.

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The man was found with injuries from a stabbing shortly after midnight, and was taken to hospital but later died of his injuries.

Police have opened a preliminary investigation into attempted murder or manslaughter, but have not yet arrested anyone or identified the victim. It comes shortly after two other fatal knife attacks in the city.

On July 17th, an 18-year-old man died after being stabbed during a robbery, and just four days later a 19-year-old was stabbed during a brawl at a shopping centre, and later died of his injuries.

Three people were arrested suspected of murder and robbery in connection to the first incident, and another man, who also had stab wounds, was detained on suspicion of murder in relation to the second.

Police don't currently suspect a link between the three deaths.

"We don't see any connection, and I can't see any special circumstances that suggest this," local police press spokesperson Stefan Gustafsson told the TT news agency. "But there are a lot of knives in our society and when they are used they are deadly or seriously injure people." 

READ ALSO: Stockholm sees spike in gun deaths – but Malmö and Gothenburg go months without fatal shootings

Earlier in the month, Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said the government would consider stricter laws for knife crime.

"We have tightened the penalties for weapons crimes and it has had a noticeable effect. There is a risk that when you toughen the penalties for this type of weapon, criminals will begin to turn to other kinds of weapons, and now I'm speaking about knives," he said at a press conference.

"Our ambition is to go further and tighten the penalties for crimes against knife legislation, considering what has happened in recent days," he said, one day after July's second deadly stabbing in Gothenburg.

A total of 267 people have died due to stabbings in Sweden between 2011 and 2017, the most recent year for which the data is available, according to an SVT investigation. Over the same period, 190 people died in shootings. 

MAP: Where Malmö's gun murders have taken place and how close police are to solving them

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