Voters in Sweden will cast their ballots this Sunday, with issues like healthcare, education, and economic stability playing a central role in the election. However, the political climate has been heavily shaped by recent increases in crime and gang-related violence. On August 21, a tragic event occurred at a high school in Fagersta, a town of 13,000 people located 180 kilometers northwest of Stockholm. An 18-year-old student, wearing a black cape, mask, and helmet, and armed with a sword, attacked several classmates. One 17-year-old girl was killed, and three others were injured. The suspect recorded the attack and was later arrested. In the wake of the incident, most political parties canceled their meetings, and several high-profile politicians, including Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Education Minister Simonna Mohamsson, and leaders of the Social Democratic and Center parties, visited the school to express their condolences. This is not the first time Sweden has faced such a serious incident. On February 4, 2025, the country endured its deadliest mass shooting in history, when ten people, including several of foreign origin, were killed at an adult education center in Örebro. Crime in Sweden has changed over the decades, from the motorcycle gangs of the 1970s, such as Hell's Angels and Los Banditos, to hyper-violent drug trafficking groups in the 2000s, which are often based in the suburbs of major cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. These gangs have increasingly recruited minors, sometimes as young as 10 years old, and many are not incarcerated if arrested. According to police estimates, these criminal organizations have 14,000 active members, with 11% being foreign nationals and 8% having dual nationality. One in seven members is a minor. Their activities—ranging from drug trafficking and weapons trade to human trafficking—generate between 9 and 14 billion euros annually. Uppsala, a city known for its university and castle, is home to two of the most violent drug trafficking gangs in the country: the "Foxtrot Network," led by Rawa Majid, known as "the Kurdish Fox," and the "Rumba Clan," led by Ismail Addo, known as "the Strawberry." Both are from Kurdistan, with one hiding in Iraq and the other arrested in Turkey, yet their gangs remain active in Sweden. In response to the rise in shootings and bomb attacks, Sweden has toughened its legal measures, including allowing preventive wiretaps of minors under 15, increasing prison sentences, and monitoring social media. The right-wing coalition that came to power in 2022, with support from the Sweden Democrats, has made fighting crime a top priority, especially targeting the recruitment of minors. However, the lowering of the criminal majority age from 15 to 14 years was passed last August with the support of the opposition Social Democrats and took effect on September 10.