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New Suspect in Swedish Foreign Minister Murder

September 24, 2003

Two weeks after the murder of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, the murder investigation has taken a surprising turn with the arrest of a new suspect.

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A Swedish police spokesperson announces the arrest of a new suspect.Image: AP

A week after arresting a suspect in the murder of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, the police released the man and took another into custody on Wednesday.

Public Prosecutor Agneta Blidberg did not identify the new suspect, but said he was "not unlike" the man captured on department store video that police believe responsible for the murder of the popular politician, who died Sept. 11 from stab wounds.

Verdächtiger in der Mordsache Lindh festgenommen
** FILE ** This is a composite photo from a surveillance video from the NK department store in central Stockholm, Sweden, made Wednesday Sept. 10 2003 and re-released Sunday, Sept. 13, 2003. The pictures show an unidentified man, suspected in the assassination of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, on the floor above where Lindh was stabbed while shopping without a bodyguard, just minutes after the man was caught on camera. Lindh died from her wounds early Thursday morning. The man in the photos is wearing a cap similar to a cap the police hold as evidence and his general description matches that given by eyewitnesses. In photos released earlier, his face was masked by police. (AP photo/Pressens Bild/Police) ** SWEDEN OUT **Image: AP

The new suspect was arrested on "probable grounds" for the murder, a stronger suspicion than the first suspect, who merited only "reasonable grounds."

Prosecutors would not say why the first was released, but Swedish tabloids attributed the decision to a lack of evidence. Police took the 35-year-old man into custody at a pub near a Stockholm football stadium on Sept. 16, one week after Lindh was stabbed in a Stockholm department store.

Under pressure for a breakthrough

Police called the man's arrest a "breakthrough" in the case. Swedish law enforcement is under intense pressure to find the killer. Seventeen years after the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme, police have still not found the killer and law enforcement is eager to avoid such a repeat.

Police said the man resembled the person filmed by store security cameras at the time of Lindh’s death. They were waiting on DNA analysis to see if the suspect's genetic material matched the DNA in blood found on the scene. The suspect himself, a convicted felon, reportedly denied any involvement in the murder.

After his release, prosecutor's would still not say if the blood found on the scene was helping the hunt for the murder suspect.

He nevertheless stayed behind bars as foreign ministers gathered in Stockholm on Saturday for Lindh's memorial service. Lindh was a leading member of the pro-euro campaign to get Sweden to join the euro zone, but police have said there is so far no evidence of a political motive for the killing. Despite an upsurge in sympathy for Lindh’s pro-euro views, Swedes chose to keep the krona in a referendum just over a week ago by a large margin.
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Swedish Police Arrest New Suspect in Lindh Murderer

Swedish Police Arrest New Suspect in Lindh Murderer

Swedish police have arrested a man believed to be the murderer of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, who died from extensive knife wounds last week after being attacked in a Stockholm department store. (Sept. 17, 2003)
September 25, 2003