Race-hate links of Sweden ‘Darth Vader’ murderer probed by police

Killer: The photo taken with pupils
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Miranda Bryant23 October 2015

The mother of a pupil stabbed to death in a suspected racist attack at a school in Sweden has told of her devastation as police investigated the alleged killer’s far-right links.

Ahmed Hassan, 15, and teaching assistant Lavin Eskandar, 20, were named by Swedish media as the two victims in yesterday’s attack in Trollhättan, near Gothenburg.

It comes as Swedish police today confirmed they believe the killer, named as Anton Lundin Petterson, had a racist motive. The 21-year-old, who was shot by police and later died, entered Kronan school in a “Darth Vader” mask yesterday and stabbed four people.

Ahmed’s mother Kiin Mohamed Ali, who moved with her family to Sweden from Somalia three years ago, told how she ran to the school and desperately searched for her son after hearing about the attack shortly after 10am.

Chilling: The attacker stopped to pose for pictures with pupils
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She was told to go to the hospital where her son later died.

Attack: Swedish emergency services at the scene of the spree on Thursday (Picture: EPA)
EPA

She told Swedish newspaper Expressen: “I ran to the school and looked for him and I was so scared. I searched and searched, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. In the end the police came up to me and said that Ahmed was at the hospital.” When she got to the hospital she was told her son was being operated on but he later died. “They said he had not made it and I became so sad. I loved him so much. He was so nice and so helpful.”

Ahmed, who was born in Somalia, lived in Trollhättan with his family and eight siblings. His mother said: “His siblings are really sad and we are all crying...Ahmed loved to play football and liked to play games. He liked school and was very happy and so kind.”

Teaching assistant Mr Eskandar had reportedly stood between the attacker and the children in a bid to save their lives, according to his brother Leith.

He told Expressen: “All I know is that he cared about others and not himself and that he tried to protect the children. He was one of the only ones who managed to stop the offender...He is king and hero for the whole town.”

Following a search of the attacker’s home, the way he dressed, behaviour and selection of victims, police today labelled the stabbing a hate crime.

“All together, this gives a picture that the perpetrator had a racist motive when he committed the crimes at Kronan school,” police said in a statement. The killer reportedly posed with students who mistook his outfit — a black mask and sword — for Halloween fancy dress before going on his rampage.

The attack has stunned Sweden, where violent crime is comparatively rare and the last school attack was in 1961. But it follows recent arson attacks on asylum centres in the south of the country amid an influx of migrants. Trollhättan has a large immigrant community and many students at Kronan school were born outside Sweden.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said the attack was a “black day for Sweden”.

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