Young men were getting a haircut ahead of Swedish festival - then they were shot dead

Ahead of Sweden's Walpurgis festival to people the commencement of spring, young radical were engaged selecting outfits oregon getting their hairsbreadth done. Not each of them made it determination alive.

At a hairsbreadth salon successful Uppsala, a metropolis northbound of Stockholm, 3 young men who constabulary accidental were aged betwixt 15 and 20 were changeable dormant connected Tuesday earlier the celebrations started.

The fearfulness near galore shaken successful the build-up to the festival, known arsenic Valborg successful Swedish, which is typically a convivial matter each 30 April connected the eve of the Christian feast time of Saint Walpurga. Celebrated nationwide, Uppsala hosts the country's largest and astir high-profile Walpurgis events, fashionable with students.

The partying did spell up successful afloat swing, but a subtle heaviness hung implicit the Swedish bluish and yellowish flags which fluttered astir the city.

And now, with the festival finished, it's lone constabulary portion - not flags - fluttering extracurricular the basement barber store wherever the shooting took spot adjacent to Vaksala Square.

"It's truly sad," says 20-year-old pupil Yamen Alchoum, who is successful the country to devour astatine a adjacent nutrient truck. He says helium was astatine different barber store connected the nighttime of the shootings, but antecedently had his hairsbreadth chopped astatine this salon aggregate times. "I deliberation if I was determination [on Tuesday]…I would be, like, progressive successful the shooting. And it's a spot scary."

According to witnesses speaking to Swedish media TV4 and Aftonbladet, 2 of the young victims were dressed successful barber capes and sat successful parlour chairs erstwhile they were changeable successful the caput conscionable aft 5pm connected Tuesday.

The metropolis centre was engaged astatine the clip arsenic commuters made their mode to the adjacent bid presumption and students from the city's prestigious assemblage cycled backmost to their flats.

Witnesses reported proceeding large bangs which galore mistook for fireworks. Minutes aboriginal respective constabulary cars and an ambulance arrived, blocking the thoroughfare and forcing a autobus to crook around. Helicopters and drones were dispatched to effort and way down the suspect. Local media reported that helium had worn a disguise and utilized an electrical scooter to get distant from the scene.

"I heard the helicopters, truthful past I knew that thing had happened," says Sara, a 32-year-old who lives connected the street. She says her telephone rapidly lit up with quality notifications and texts from friends asking if she was okay.

Around 2 hours aft the shootings, constabulary arrested a 16-year-old boy. In Sweden, suspects tin beryllium held based connected antithetic levels of suspicion, and the teen was initially held astatine the second-highest level, indicating beardown suspicion.

However, by Friday, prosecutors said the lawsuit against him had weakened and helium was released.

On Saturday, Swedish constabulary confirmed that six radical person present been arrested successful transportation with the case. The suspects scope successful property from nether 18 to 45, according to the authorities prosecutor's office, and 1 is suspected of carrying retired the killings.

People intending to sojourn Uppsala for the Walpurgis festival were advised not to alteration their plans, arsenic constabulary promised other resources connected the cathedral city's streets and suggested the shooting was apt an "isolated incident".

While galore were shaken, tens of thousands of Swedes inactive heeded their advice, packing the banks of Uppsala's Fyris stream to ticker the yearly pupil raft race, drinking successful the city's pubs and parks oregon heading to a immense nationalist bonfire successful the evening. Others joined the yearly outpouring ceremonial extracurricular the assemblage wherever existent and erstwhile students gathered to question achromatic caps.

"I don't truly consciousness truthful scared," says Alvin Rose, 19, a societal studies student, having a snack successful Vaksala Square, conscionable astir the country from wherever the shootings happened. "It feels similar there's much security, much cops about."

His person Kassandra Fritz, an 18-year-old earthy sciences student, says she has driven to Uppsala from her location successful Gävle, 2 hours north, to "have amusive and conscionable caller people".

She reflects that she nary longer has a "strong" absorption to quality astir shootings successful Sweden since they are often successful the headlines. "There's been truthful galore shootings lately, not lone present successful Uppsala but like, everyplace successful Sweden."

Over the past decade, Sweden has emerged arsenic a European hotspot for weapon crime, often linked to transgression networks. Research for Sweden's National Council for Crime Prevention released past twelvemonth concluded that the illustration of perpetrators is "increasingly younger", with increasing numbers of teenagers some carrying retired oregon dying from weapon violence.

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was connected a enactment travel to Valencia erstwhile the Uppsala shooting took place, but has since described it arsenic "an highly convulsive act".

"This underlines that the question of unit is not implicit - it continues," helium said successful an interrogation with Swedish quality bureau TT connected Wednesday.

At a quality league the time after, officers said they were investigating the anticipation that the deaths were linked to pack crime, but said it was excessively soon to corroborate this.

Police successful assorted Swedish cities person antecedently said it is becoming much communal for gangs to declaration susceptible children to transportation retired crimes, due to the fact that those who are 15 oregon younger are beneath the property of transgression work successful Sweden.

Sweden's authorities precocious projected arguable caller authorities that would let constabulary to wiretap children, successful an effort to forestall them from being recruited to teenage gangs.

Ministers person besides said they privation to tighten the country's weapon laws.

In February, 10 radical were killed successful the country's worst wide shooting astatine an big acquisition centre successful the Swedish municipality of Orebro. In this case, constabulary fishy a 35-year-old was down the killings. He legally owned a weapon, and was recovered dormant wrong the building.

Outside the hairsbreadth salon successful Uppsala, 20-year-old Yamen says helium has ne'er been progressive successful pack transgression but knows plentifulness of others who have.

"Many times successful my school, determination was pack violence, and successful the streets - dealers," helium says. "But my property was to work, study, and present I americium successful college."

As helium leaves to conscionable friends, a dependable watercourse of young radical proceed to halt astatine the thoroughfare country adjacent to the hairdressers, immoderate bringing bouquets of flowers. Several look visibly shaken and person tears successful their eyes.

"I knew him precise well," says Elias, a 16-year-old who says helium was friends with 1 of the victims, and has asked the BBC not to stock his surname. "It feels unreal, you know. It doesn't consciousness similar I've genuinely accepted the situation."