April 30 (UPI) -- A masked gunman opened fire at a hair salon in a Swedish university town killing three young people in an apparent gangland hit.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a news release Wednesday that a 16-year-old boy had been arrested with probable cause on suspicion of murder in connection with the shooting in Uppsala, 40 miles northwest of the capital, Stockholm.
The suspect, who is a minor under Swedish law, was arrested at his home at midnight, said chief prosecutor Andreas Nyberg, who is heading up the investigation.
"An intensive investigation is underway. We are currently gathering information, and police are conducting door-to-door inquiries and witness interviews," he said.
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Nyberg said mobile phones and other evidence seized were also being analyzed.
Authorities have until noon Saturday, when they must either remand the suspect in custody or release him.
The Swedish broadcaster SVT reported that the incident late Tuesday afternoon at the Shalom barber shop in Vaksala Square downtown might have been gang-related, as one of the victims was under investigation for planning an attack on a family member of a gang-leader.
Police locked down the city overnight, including halting all outbound trains, after the shooting and made their arrest early Wednesday. Police told a news conference the suspect was one of several people being questioned as part of the investigation and that while there were currently no other suspects, that could change.
"We are conducting a high-intensity operation," said Uppsala District Police Chief Erik Akerlund
He said police had yet to positively identify the three deceased people but confirmed they were aged between 15 and 20 and that officers were in contact with relatives who fear that they are their family members.
"We see no clear connection between the incident and the hair salon itself. But we have an idea of who the victims are, and we are working based on that regarding possible retaliation," Akerlund said.
The incident came on the eve of the Walpurgis Night festival, known as the "last of April," in the city which is expected to bring 100,000 revelers onto the streets later on Wednesday.
Police said the event would go ahead as planned, albeit with heightened security.
"We are focusing heavily on measures to create security," said Asa Larsson, local police chief for Uppsala/Knivsta. "We understand that this is experienced with great concern. It is a terrible event that has happened in Uppsala."
In February, at least 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at an adult education facility in Orebro, 125 miles west of Stockholm. The shooter died at the scene, likely from a self-inflicted gunshot, after exchanging fire with police. It was the worst mass shooting in the country's history.
