Secret Police Surveillance Uncovers Murder Weapon in Osby Bog
Buried in a bog lay the murder weapon from the 2024 Osby gas station murder.
Two men from Hässleholm in Skåne were caught for another weapons offense in Skåne during the fall of 2024. The 20-year-old was of particular interest.
– We have been monitoring him for a while. This allowed us to examine phones seized in the other case, says senior prosecutor Marie-Louise Holmberg, who led the investigation.
When the phones were analyzed, the men's movements were mapped. It turned out they had been at locations of interest in the October 2024 gas station murder – when 22-year-old Ismael Shaikh Khudur was shot dead.
After the verdict in the other crime, the two men were immediately detained again – now on suspicion in Hässleholm.
– We have worked methodically. The aim has been to locate the murder weapon, says Marie-Louise Holmberg.
The 20-year-old is suspected of procuring the weapon a couple of years earlier, according to the indictment.
Hitchhiked with a Tractor
The 19-year-old became active after the murder, police suspect, and hid the weapon after 22-year-old Ismail was shot to death.
– He goes to retrieve something in Osby on October 19, a few days after the murder. The conclusion I can draw is that it is the murder weapon, says Marie-Louise Holmberg.
Additionally, a witness saw the 19-year-old getting a ride into the woods in a friend's tractor.
The witness saw the young man bend down and pick up something he put in his pants.
The girl – who according to the witness appeared nervous – started the tractor and drove off as soon as the young man returned. She can then be linked to both the 20-year-old and the 19-year-old.
– She is not suspected of any crime, as she was unaware of what he was going to do, says Marie-Louise Holmberg.
The men deny the charges.
Weapon Dumped After the Murder
– I have nothing to do with any murder if that's what you think, and I have never seen this weapon before, says the 20-year-old to the police.
When the investigator points out that his phone shows he was at the location, he continues to deny it.
– I have not handled this weapon, and it is very unfortunate that people have been harmed with this weapon, continues the 20-year-old.
The 19-year-old is confronted with a phone used almost exclusively for calls with his own parents. On the morning of October 19 – three days after the murder – the phone was at his home, and in the afternoon, it moved to Spegeldammen, where the weapon was dumped.
But the 19-year-old denies everything.
– How should I know, I just see it's a lake. I don't know what I'm doing by a lake at this time, he tells the police.
Prosecutor: “Our Absolute Hope”
Both are now suspected of serious weapons offenses. The case will be tried in Hässleholm District Court on Thursday. If convicted, the two face prison sentences.
In January, Ayyoub Murad, 39, and Salam Murad, 35, were detained in absentia on probable cause suspected of the murder itself, as previously reported by Expressen. They remain detained and are likely still abroad.
Will they ever be brought to justice in Sweden?
– It is absolutely our hope. But it looks as it does, in cooperation with various countries, says Marie-Louise Holmberg.