The Foreign Office says it is supporting the families of two British men reported missing in Sweden after two people were found shot dead in a burned out car – with police probing links between the shooting and gang violence in the country.
The driver and passenger, who are believed to be British citizens, were found in the gutted remains of a Toyota RAV4 that had been rented in Denmark and driven across the border to Sweden.
Their bodies were recovered after firefighters were called to the scene of a blaze on a dirt road in the Fosie industrial estate in the coastal city of Malmö on Sunday.
The pair are understood to have been shot before the car was set alight, local media reports. Police are treating the incident as a double murder – and are probing potential links with gang violence.
It is believed that the victims rented a car at Copenhagen Kastrup airport before they were found in the nearby Swedish city across the border.
Two Brits have been shot dead in a rented car and set on fire in Sweden after hiring the vehicle in Denmark. Images show forensics officers investigating the scene
A lorry is seen carrying the burnt out car, wrapped in a plastic sheet, away from the scene
Police officers in Malmo cordon off the scene at the Fosie industrial estate, where the car was discovered with two bodies inside
Officers can be seen moving plastic bags from inside the car at the scene
Authorities are reportedly working with Interpol on their probe into the horror
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said it is supporting the families of two British men reported missing in Sweden.
The identities of the deceased have not yet been shared, but police officials say they ‘have an idea of who they are’.
As they begin their manhunt, pulling in several people for questioning, authorities now fear that more violence could follow, according to local media.
The bodies will be examined forensically this week as police look to confirm the identities and notify the next of kin.
Rickard Lundqvist, press spokesperson for police region South, confirmed the probe on Sunday – but said there was no suspect at present.
Police only identified that the victims were not Danish ‘since it was a Danish-registered car’.
Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet reported that the victims were British.
Police confirmed they are now working with foreign police on the case, and have appealed for information on the burned out car as they piece together the sequence of events that led to the grim discovery.
‘We are interested in talking to people who have seen the car… a black Danish-registered Toyota of model RAV4,’ said Kerstin Gossé, spokesperson for the Swedish Police Authority.
They are now asking anybody who saw the car between 11.30am and 2pm on Sunday, July 14 to get in touch.
‘We are working hard with various measures in this investigation to bring clarity to this,’ she added.
The car has already been impounded and several people will soon be questioned, they confirmed.
‘We cannot go into any details at all about the people in question or the circumstances in general,’ Mr Lundqvist said.
The scene is still cordoned off and a crime scene investigation is underway, according to local media.
The victims were last seen travelling past the Öresund Bridge toll station on Sunday afternoon.
Forensic teams are working to confirm the identities of the Brits found in Sweden
Police cannot yet confirm whether the horror attack was part of gangland violence
Authorities will work together to determine the identities of the victims this week
The car has already been impounded and police plan to question several people
Firefighters arrived at the scene of the inferno in Malmo to find bodies already shot
Police reportedly now fear that there could be more acts of violence to come, according to Aftonbladet.
But Gossé said that there was nothing she had heard internally to that effect.
Police declined to say whether the apparent attack was connected to gang violence.
‘We have to keep everything open. It is nothing that I can speculate on this early in the investigation,’ Gossé said.
‘So far, we are keeping tight and restrained so that the preliminary investigation can have its way,’ she added.
A statement issued by the Swedish Police Authority, reported by Sky News, said: ‘The two people who were found dead in a burnt-out car on Sunday afternoon have not yet been identified.
‘The bodies are being examined by forensic medicine. The incident is currently being investigated as a murder.
‘Several witnesses have been interviewed and the police are interested in further observations and tips.’
The number of murders reported in Sweden increased 39 per cent between 2013 and 2021.
Sixty people were shot in Sweden in 2022, after the pandemic, marking a tragic record in modern times, the government said late December.
Malmö, the country’s third largest city with a population of some 300,000, had the fourth highest count behind Stockholm, Gothenburg and Västerås
The UK government continues to issue foreign travel advice about travelling to Sweden.
‘Violent crime does occur. Gang-related crime, including knife crime, shootings and explosions, has been reported in Malmö, Stockholm and Gothenburg,’ it reads.
