A controversial court ruling in Stockholm has sparked outrage after a gang member was acquitted despite being caught in a police sting operation. The operation involved an officer posing as a 14-year-old girl to infiltrate a gang and prevent a shooting. The court's decision, based on the handling of a weapon replica, has raised questions about legal loopholes and the effectiveness of police tactics.
Controversial Court Ruling in Stockholm Gang Case Sparks Outrage
Controversial Court Ruling in Stockholm Gang Case Sparks Outrage
Police posed as a 14-year-old named Ida, seeking a role as a shooter in Stockholm's gang war. They successfully tricked the gang into revealing the location of a weapon intended for a shooting. The weapon was swapped before a gang member arrived to collect it, leading to his arrest. However, the court acquitted the man entirely.
Previously, I wrote about issues caused by another controversial ruling. The Supreme Court acquitted two gang members in Södertälje after police swapped real weapons for replicas in a stash.
The ruling sparked strong reactions as the men's intent was clear. It also raised questions about whether the Supreme Court seriously required police to leave real weapons in storage for convictions in such operations.
A government inquiry has proposed ways to close this legal loophole, but Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer has yet to act. Meanwhile, another inquiry into crime provocation is ongoing, expected to conclude this fall.
The consequences of the controversial ruling and the need for crime provocation are evident in the case of "14-year-old Ida," tasked with a shooting in Bagarmossen this spring.
Stockholm police have a unit called SII – Special Internet Intelligence – which has advanced significantly in recent times as young operatives are recruited in various chat groups. Here, youths seeking assignments meet violence organizers.
Earlier this year, SII infiltrated a crime marketplace. The police infiltrator called herself Ida, pretending to be 14 years old.
Ida was contacted by an employer offering her 35,000 kronor: "You just have to shoot at a door, and you get 35k," he wrote.
The police posing as Ida tried to "speak the language" in the chat, mimicking typical communication.
"Is it mosque, bro?" the fictional character asked.
"Should I go there and pick up the tab?"
The employer fell for the ruse, unaware he was chatting with police about the "tab" – the gun – and "Ida" received an address in Bagarmossen as the shooting target and a location to collect the weapon.
"Fire as many shots as you can at the front door, okay," the employer instructed.
"Yeah, all I have," replied "Ida."
The Special Internet Intelligence unit was in direct contact with a surveillance team sent to the address. A female officer pretended to be Ida and picked up the weapon. The surveillance team acted cautiously, fearing the employers might be counter-surveilling her.
The goal was to expose the instigators behind the order.
In the police's storage, realistic replicas of most weapons on the illegal market are available, and a decision was made to swap the real weapon for a replica.
In the chat, "Ida" claimed to panic after something happened on-site and backed out. She also claimed her mother was terrorizing her. She gave the employer an address where she supposedly dumped the weapon and sent a video from the bushes to help locate it.
It was night in southern Stockholm, and the surveillance team discreetly positioned themselves around the weapon replica in the bushes. Less than an hour passed before things started happening.
A well-known gang member, long linked by police to a criminal network in the area, arrived and fell into the trap. He picked up the weapon, prompting police action. The surveillance team left their positions as the Stockholm task force stormed the scene.
The man ran, and the officers pursued. He discarded the weapon replica and a mobile phone before being apprehended.
The police couldn't crack the phone. It was encrypted with the system criminals currently use for secret communication, preventing further investigation into the murder preparation – it couldn't be proven that the gang member was "Ida's" employer.
However, traces of the arrested gang member were found on the weapon. His DNA was on ammunition found in the real weapon.
He was charged with serious weapons offenses – a crime now carrying a minimum of four years in prison. The prosecutor deemed the DNA evidence and his arrival to collect the swapped weapon sufficient proof.
But Södertörn District Court disagreed. The man was released immediately after the trial, with wild celebrations and hugs in the courtroom where his friends were present.
He has now been acquitted, with the court reasoning that "handling a weapon replica is not illegal."
The new controversial ruling refers to the Supreme Court's decision – and it's not the first time.
The gang member consistently answered "no comments" to all questions during the police investigation, but in court, he provided some new information. His DNA on some of the cartridges in the real weapon was explained by his occasional handling of ammunition. He also claimed he came to the location to pick up a "thing" on behalf of another, unnamed person and had no idea it was a weapon.
Södertörn District Court did not dismiss these explanations, contributing to his acquittal.
The acquittal has been appealed by the prosecutor, but since the suspect is no longer in custody, it will likely take at least a year before the case is heard in the Svea Court of Appeal.