Somali Employee of Swedish Public Employment Service Prosecuted for Attempted Murder After Scissors Attack: "I'm Going to Cut You"

A Somali man in his 60s is being prosecuted for attempted murder after trying to kill another man by stabbing him with scissors in the neck and chest. Despite the serious charges, he cannot be deported if found guilty, as he is a Swedish citizen. During police interrogation, the man stated that the Public Employment Service “pays for everything” for him.

The incident is said to have taken place on May 22 this year in the immigrant-dense area of Jakobsgårdarna in Borlänge municipality. According to the man who was the target of the attempted murder, he had approached Ali Abdullahi, 58, and asked if he could have a cigarette.

Abdullahi allegedly asked what he was doing there and why he had come, before pulling a pair of scissors from his back pocket and trying to press them against the victim’s neck. He eventually managed to stab him in the throat, causing blood to immediately start running down the victim’s shirt.

After the first stab, Abdullahi aimed for the heart, but the victim made a sudden move and shifted sideways, causing the scissors instead to strike the opposite side of the chest. The man went into shock.

Parts of the conversation between emergency services and the victim. Photo: Police

Bleeding in the Chest Muscle

The victim was transported by ambulance to the emergency room where he was treated for his injuries. The stabbings caused, among other things, a wound to the front of the chest, bleeding in the chest muscle, and a neck wound.

The injuries to the chest. Photo: Police

The victim’s shirt after the attempted murder and the scissors used. Photo: Police

“They will pay everything for me, the Public Employment Service”

In his initial interrogation, Abdullahi told police that he was waiting for a man to supply him with hashish (marijuana) when the victim approached.

The victim supposedly asked Abdullahi if he could smoke with him, but Abdullahi said no. He claimed the victim then began swearing and insulting both him and his girlfriend.

The Somali man also said that he is only living with his girlfriend temporarily, as he will soon be given an apartment paid for by the Public Employment Service.

Abdullahi is to receive an apartment – paid for by the Public Employment Service – he says. Photo: Police and Public Employment Service Communications Dept. CC BY-SA 4.0

Police: “You are registered in Norrköping at an address. Don’t you live there?”

Abdullahi: “No, now I’m going to get an apartment here as well. They will pay everything for me, the Public Employment Service.”

He also initially denied having stabbed the victim with scissors, instead claiming he had punched him in self-defense. However, he changed his story after DNA analysis connected him to the scissors found near the crime scene. He continues to claim that everything happened in self-defense.

Charged – But Cannot Be Deported

Senior prosecutor Johan Knies has now brought charges against the Somali man, Ali Abdullahi, 58, for attempted murder. He asserts that Abdullahi attempted to kill the victim by stabbing him in the neck and chest with scissors.

The prosecutor also claims that there was a real danger the crime could have been completed, or only failed due to temporary circumstances. Abdullahi is, however, a Swedish citizen and therefore – if convicted – cannot be deported. The trial will take place at Falu District Court next week.