Two 17-year-olds are sentenced to closed youth care for murder and aiding and abetting murder of a 20-year-old man in the Södertälje suburb of Geneta in March. The murder, which was planned via encrypted apps, is described by the district court as an ‘execution for payment.’ A 23-year-old man who was charged with aiding and abetting murder is acquitted as the court does not find the evidence fully sufficient for a conviction.

It was on March 21 this year when a criminally involved 20-year-old man was lured to the pedestrian tunnel under Klockarvägen in Geneta in Södertälje, believing he would receive compensation after a dispute over so-called thermos bombs. Instead, 16-year-old, now 17-year-old, Rafiq Hamza Aswad was waiting there armed with a gun.

As the 20-year-old approached, he looked happy, according to a witness. Seconds later, he was shot to death with several shots. The young shooter fled on foot but was shortly thereafter arrested in the nearby Södertälje suburb of Ronna, after taking a taxi there. The murder weapon was found by the police along the escape route.

‘Execution for payment’

The Södertälje district court concludes that the murder was a pure execution in a gang environment. Aswad, who had traveled up from Gothenburg, had been recruited via the Signal app to carry out the murder for payment.

In chats under the alias ‘Donald Trump,’ an as yet unknown contractor gave orders and directed both the victim and the shooter to the meeting place. The district court writes that Aswad ‘was tasked with killing a person completely unknown to him for payment’ and that the murder would have resulted in a life sentence if the perpetrator had been an adult.

Shooter convicted – accomplice complicit

Aswad is convicted of murder but only to 3 years and 5 months of youth care. The penalty has been greatly mitigated because he was a minor and allegedly provided information that pushed the investigation forward.

An accomplice, 17-year-old Ted Valder Fowler Jensen from Gothenburg, is sentenced to 2 years and 11 months of youth care for aiding and abetting murder by mediating the contact between the contractor and the shooter. There too, the penalty has been greatly mitigated due to the perpetrator’s young age.

A third defendant, a 23-year-old man from Norsborg south of Stockholm, was also charged with aiding and abetting murder but is acquitted. It is proven that he booked the motel in Slagsta where the shooter lived before the murder, but the court does not find it fully proven that he understood what was to happen.

Unknown contractor – motive in gang conflict

The person who called himself ‘Donald Trump’ in the chats is still unknown. The police suspect that the person belongs to Södertälje’s immigrant criminal network environment.

READ MORE: Victim lured to pedestrian tunnel and murdered – three charged

The murder is believed to have its roots in a conflict over the sale of thermos bombs – homemade explosive devices – in which both the victim and the contractor were involved.

Court’s assessment: Young but dangerous

The district court describes the act as ‘extremely ruthless.’ According to the court, Aswad acted coldly and purposefully:

“He waited for his target, took out the weapon, and fired several shots at close range. There is nothing to indicate that it happened in the heat of the moment.”

The court also emphasizes that the assisting 17-year-old had ‘a decisive role‘ in recruiting the shooter and putting him in contact with the contractor.

Previous convictions and background

Excerpts from the criminal record that Samnytt has seen show that the shooter Aswad has not previously appeared in the criminal register. However, the accomplice Valder Jensen has been convicted of extortion (Gothenburg District Court 2024) and drug offenses (Gothenburg District Court 2025).

The acquitted 23-year-old has an extensive criminal record, including serious weapons offenses, violations of the Explosives Act, attempted extortion, and obstruction of justice.

“Another tragic victim”

Chief prosecutor Markus Hankkio notes that the case is another example of how young boys are drawn into network violence:

– This is yet another tragic victim of senseless violence. The victim was a young man, the only child of a single mother, who ended up in the wrong circles.

During the trial, the mother described how her son had lost his footing in the months before the murder – he had lost his job, started smoking hashish, and associated with criminals.

Criticism of leniency for young offenders

Criticism has been directed at the significant leniency and in some cases impunity for young serious offenders. It is argued that these primarily serve as an incentive for gangs to pressure young people to commit the most serious crimes.

At the initiative of the Sweden Democrats, the four Tidö parties in the government coalition have agreed on a bill proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility from the current 15 years to 13 years. They are also reviewing the leniency.

Compensation – taxpayers bear the brunt

The two convicted individuals are jointly required to compensate the victim’s mother with just over 174,000 SEK. The amount includes funeral expenses.

The parents of the convicted youths are jointly responsible for a small part of the compensation, equivalent to one-fifth of a base amount. The remaining bill is picked up by taxpayers.