‘People are scared’: Sweden’s freedom of information laws lead to wave of deadly bombings
Online access to home addresses is a cherished right. But as gangs target rivals with ease, innocent victims are caught in the blasts
O n a night in September, as summer was turning to autumn, Soha Saad dozed off on the sofa as she stayed up late studying. The 24-year-old, who lived in a quiet village near the Swedish university town of Uppsala with her parents and siblings, had recently graduated as a teacher, a career she was passionate about, and had big dreams for the future.
But in the early hours of the morning, all of that hope came to an end. An explosion ripped through their home, removing the windows and walls, and ending Soha’s life.
She is not thought to have been the intended target of September’s bomb attack – reports at the time said it could have been a neighbour related to a gang member – but was an innocent victim with no connections to gang violence.
Soha’s family were shattered by her loss and their home destroyed. “Her father just wanted to jump into the grave,” Dr Véronique Simon, who taught her at Uppsala and attended her funeral, told the Observer. “She was young, beautiful, full of life, intelligent, ambitious, a great student and helpful with other students.”
