Unusual hostage-taking in Swedish prison: Criminals ordered pizzas in exchange for freeing guards

Two prison guards in Sweden were held hostage for nine hours on Wednesday by two inmates who they demanded pizza as a condition of release. The crisis ended when the food was deliveredhe told the agency AFP spokesperson for the prison.

Neither of the two guards “was injured and they were able to return safely to their families,” said prison spokeswoman Stina Lyles.

Inmates serving time for murder at Hallby high security prison near the town of Eskilstuna, they managed to break into an area reserved only for guards at around 12:30 p.m. (10:30 GMT), another prison official, Torkel Omnell, said.

There, they took hostage two guards who were in that area at the time. “We quickly sent a mediator” and called the policeOmnell said.

According to Swedish media, the kidnappers made two requests: a helicopter to escape and 20 pizzas for other prisoners. “Yes, the pizzas have been delivered”confirmed prison spokeswoman Stina Lyles.

Later, the two detainees were taken to the police station for questioning by “”removalThe police said.

Strengthening sanctions against gangs

In contrast, faced with a wave of deadly shootings and bloody judgments, Sweden decided on Wednesday to toughen prison sentences for young people between the ages of 18 and 20 who are part of criminal gangs.

The announcement comes after two children aged 5 and 6 were injured this weekend for Lost bullets during a shootout at Visattra, a district south of Stockholm.

In the event of serious crimes (murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, gun crimes), the sentence reduction will be removed when the perpetrators are between 18 and 20 years old, and it may even be life imprisonmentJustice Minister Morgan Johansson announced.

“We want to focus on the crimes committed by people who do it systematically and who have a criminal lifestyle”he said at a press conference.

“It’s one thing to have a situation where one boy beats another boy in the queue at a bar, with no criminal record, but something different is when young people are systematically stealing from other young people, or worse , when they commit murder for hire», Declared the Minister.

Sweden has suffered for years from the rise of criminal gangs, shootings and revenge, a phenomenon that shocked a country known for decades for its low crime rate and blood crimes.

(With information from AFP)

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