STOCKHOLM: One person was killed and another wounded on Friday in a shooting near a mosque in southern Sweden, an attack police said was linked to feuding organised crime gangs.

Media quoted witnesses as saying one person was shot as he left the mosque in the town of Orebro, about 200 kilometres west of Stockholm.

Police said in a statement that a man “around the age of 25 died as a result of the wounds he suffered”. The condition of the second person was not disclosed.

Police provided no details about the deceased’s identity or the circumstances of the shooting, and urged the public to stay away from the scene as their search for the shooter continued several hours after the incident.

“We are currently actively pursuing the perpetrator or perpetrators,” police spokesman Anders Dahlman said.

“We are interviewing witnesses and carrying out our technical investigation,” he said.

The shooting occurred as people were leaving the mosque after Friday prayers, sparking panic as people ran from the scene.

One witness told a Swedish public broadcaster that he was standing just a few metres away from one of the men who was shot.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025