At least 8 arrested after Swedish riots enter third day

USPA News - Violent riots in Sweden have entered their third day after a police shooting, local media reported Wednesday. Authorities confirmed the arrests of at least eight people after the violent night riots entered their third day beginning in Husby, a suburb north of Stockholm, the Swedish capital.

On Tuesday, riots spread to other areas north and south of Stockholm, including Rinkeby, Skarpnäck, Norsborg, Kista, Fittja, Bredäng, Flemingsberg, Edsberg, and Tensta. Local police chief Jörgen Karlsson told the Local that between 50 to 100 people took part in Tuesday`s rioting in Husby, although around 300 were estimated to be on the streets. The numbers grew from what was estimated on Sunday night when dozens of youths began rioting, setting around 100 vehicles on fire and damaging a number of buildings and local shops. Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt warned that the unrest could continue, describing Husby with an "intimidating atmosphere." Four of the suspected rioters that had been arrested were detained, while two others were later released. The seventh rioters was under fifteen and was also released. They were all suspected of violent rioting and assaulting a public official, Karlsson explained. When police approached the scene, stones were hurled, causing seven minor injuries. The riots are believed to have begun after a local police shot and killed a machete-wielding 69-year-old man the previous week in the suburb, where a large number of Muslim immigrants reside. While some local youth leaders have claimed inequality, other locals have criticized the riots, saying youths took the incident as an excuse to take out their frustration. Suburbs in northern Stockholm has faced one of the country`s highest unemployment rates among youths.