Asylum seeker stabs, kills Swedish refugee center employee

Published January 25th, 2016 - 05:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

A young asylum-seeker allegedly stabbed and killed a worker at a refugee center for unaccompanied minors in western Sweden, AFP reported.

The 22-year-old victim was rushed to a hospital, but succumbed to her injuries, police said.

Police did not provide any details on the age or nationality of the attacker, just that he was a resident at the center for 14- to 17-year-olds. He was placed under arrest for murder.

"These kinds of calls are becoming more and more common. We're dealing with more incidents like these since the arrival of so many more refugees from abroad," police spokesman Thomas Fuxborg said.

Sweden's National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson has requested additional officers and support staff, but added that the current strain on resources meant that dealing with the extra volume of work around refugee centers means that they are not able to respond as effectively to incidents in other areas.

Sweden, like the rest of Europe, is struggling to deal with the greatest refugee crisis since World War II. In 2015, Sweden took in more than 160,000 refugees and migrants, giving it one of the highest proportions of refugees per capita in the European Union.

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content