“Blood for Blood Expected”

An internal split in the Kurdish fox gang means that several borders have now been crossed. The mother of a highly regarded leader within the gang has been killed, something that is predicted to have major consequences, according to SVT reporter Diamant Salihu.

– The reaction that is expected now is blood for blood, he says.

Diamant Salihu is a crime reporter at SVT and has written several books about Stockholm’s gang wars. The latest book, When No One Listens, is about the Foxtrot network led by the man known as the Kurdish Fox.

He is one of several high-ranking and wanted Swedes in the gang milieu who are hiding in Turkey. They have obtained citizenship in the country by buying a home in Turkey and are therefore not extradited to Sweden, something that was previously reported in the Swedish media.

Now the leadership of the network has split due to an internal feud that has flared up within Foxtrot. It depends on several things where people within the gang disagree, according to sources for Diamant Salihu.

– There are those who think that the violence against relatives has gone too far and that it has gone too far when children are used as foot soldiers, he says.

Another background to the split is that it blew up its own couriers and its drug handling, says Diamant Salihu, as a way to cover up debts incurred due to losses in drug seizures.

Several acts of violence

Salihu says that the internal conflict, in just a few days, led to several serious acts of violence, both in Turkey and in Sweden. In Turkey, a highly regarded and respected person in the Kurdish Fox network has been severely beaten. According to Salihu, it has resulted in a revenge shooting. This is an act that the Swedish authorities have long warned Turkish representatives about without being heard, says Diamant Salihu.

On Thursday, the conflict moved to Sweden. Then the mother of a highly regarded leader (not the Kurdish fox) was shot to death in Uppsala, which now forces everyone involved in the gang milieu to choose a side, according to sources for Diamant Salihu.

– The reaction expected now is blood for blood to respond to the extreme act. There are many concerned relatives of those involved in the gangs who fear for their lives now because murder is such an extreme line to cross.

Retaliation awaits

Killing a mother is starting a blood feud or a war, says Diamant Salihu. It’s a no go zone in the gang environment, because mothers are sacred.

TT: What made you choose to cross that line anyway?

– The person who coordinates is far from Sweden and does not see the consequences for the crimes they order. It has gone so far and there has been such a radicalization that they are so paranoid and feel threatened by the other grouping. So they respond with the very worst to hurt the enemy and don’t think about the consequences.

According to Diamant Salihu, the people in Turkey are staying away because they are afraid of reprisals. The fear is also spreading in Sweden, he says.

– Bloodshed will be required and it can happen now or in several years. There is no forgiveness when you act this way.