This week we reveal the deadliest place in Europe to be a young man. It is the suburbs of Stockholm and other major Swedish cities.
That's largely because of gun deaths caused by two feuding Kurdish-controlled gangs has soared.
Travelling through Sweden's bare concrete housing block estates, a 16-year old gave us some understanding of how he was sucked into the world of gangs.
Alan revealed how Rawa Majid, 39, the man know as the Kurdish Fox, rewards his teenage killers despite years of exile. Sitting in the back of a car on the way to an underground interview point, Alan smiles as he talks nonchalantly about the buzz he got from shooting his rival criminals.
“It’s fun. It's crazy for the first two hours when you have done it, then you start to run because you don’t want the police to see you,” he told The National.
He is one of hundreds of teenagers in Sweden involved in the violence. Gangsters such as those in the Foxtrot network, run by Majid, recruit children to attack rivals – in the knowledge that, under Swedish law, anyone under the age of 15 cannot be prosecuted.
Rawa Majid, left, known as the Kurdish Fox, and a teenager who spoke to The National as part of an investigation into the Foxtrot Kurdish criminal network operating in Sweden. Nick Donaldson / The National
A mother whose son was shot dead in his car outside the family home warned a culture of fear is gripping Sweden as rival gangs run riot.
Tulun Tas found Emirhan slumped in his car just metres from their home in Norsborg, near Stockholm. With the engine still running, she realised he had been shot. He died in hospital shortly afterwards.
To his mother, Emirhan was a “funny” child who wanted to turn a love for Lego into a career in engineering. Not a day goes by that she does not miss his presence. “[My son] helped me from the day he was eight years old to the day he died,” she said.
Ms Tas has broken her silence to speak out on her fears the 18 year old had been caught up in gang violence that has exploded across Sweden – and her determination to find his killer.
And it is Majid, an internationally wanted gangster, who is directing the gangland warfare.
Dark days
Swedish police said this week that a suspect linked to the Foxtrot network was arrested after the seizure of cocaine in the south-west of the country, weighing at least 200kg. It is one of a series of busts the authorities have made in recent years.
Sweden must abandon its policy of “silent diplomacy” with Iran as it faces a wave of gangland warfare orchestrated by Majid, a leading politician told The National.
Stockholm should publicly call for Iran to hand over Majid, who is hiding there to avoid facing justice for a string of offences, said Alireza Akhondi, who was born in Iran and is a prominent critic of the regime.
Majid’s feud with Ismail Abdo, a one-time close associate nicknamed “Strawberry”, who runs the rival Rumba network, led to a series of tit-for-tat killings.
The Foxtrot boss has also been accused of carrying out attacks on Israeli targets on behalf of Iran, for which he has been placed under sanctions by the US.
Two men found guilty of planning a mass attack in Manchester were plotting for ISIS. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, had a “visceral dislike” of Jewish people and wanted to cause “untold harm”, Preston Crown Court heard on Tuesday.
As is patently clear from the deadly attacks in Manchester and Sydney this year, ISIS-inspired gunmen have formed a new archetype.
In January 2024, the group’s propaganda channels used the aftermath of the Hamas-led attacks inside Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent outbreak of war in Gaza to instruct loyalists to kill Jews wherever they could find them. Investigators reportedly believe this was instrumental in both deadly attacks. In Africa, where ISIS loyalists are besieging important capitals, there is little doubt of the resurgence of its influence as a major local power.
It has been clear for 15 years that ISIS works along existing fault lines to boost its pulling power. It wants to attract people to pledge their loyalty to it and carry out its goals.
Cities in France and Belgium bore the brunt of one phase of the ISIS era that has hallmarks of what is happening today. The faultline that ISIS sought out was centred on laying down differences in lifestyles that could become divisive issues. Last year, the Taylor Swift tour became a target for a plot that had the same objectives.
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EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side 8 There are eight players per team 9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one. 5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls 4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
