University of Gothenburg
Two people died after gunmen stormed a pub in Gothenburg, Sweden late Wednesday night. Above, the University of Gothenburg is pictured. Johan Wingborg/University of Gothenburg

At least two people were killed in Gothenburg, Sweden, after two gunmen entered a pub Wednesday night and started shooting, leaving at least eight people suffering various injuries, according to multiple reports. Jenny Widén, a local police spokesperson, said the shooting happened in a restaurant at Vårväderstorget, a city business district, according to SVT.se, a Swedish news outlet. The eight people who were injured were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Although it’s unclear who is responsible for the shooting, one person tweeted photos allegedly of the scene and blamed it on “deadly ISIS terror.”

Eyewitnesses reported seeing two men wielding Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles go into the the Var Krog Och Bar around 10:30 p.m. local time while a soccer match was being televised. The gunmen stormed the pub and began shooting, and police expect the death toll to rise. “We sat and watched the game when the shooters came in,” one witness told Aftonbladet, a local newspaper.

Residents say that gang activity is a major problem in the area. “I just came down to see that they have locked down the entire square,” one unidentified witness said, according to the Express. “It is the gangs that are doing these sort of things around here.” A Swedish police officer also said it was gang-related.

“I've lived here for a year and it has been an occasional gunfire, but never anything serious,” a local resident told Aftonbladet. “It's the gangs that hold on, but not here without further into the Bishop's Palace. This is actually the quiet area.”

That same area has been affected by several instances of violence this year, including earlier in the day when three cars were reportedly burned, according to the Express. In January, a similar shooting took place at Vårväderstorget, where a man was shot four times in the leg outside of a restaurant.

According to the Daily Mail, the Swedish government shut down an “assimilation guide service” after learning that several of its employees were attempting to recruit recent immigrants to the Islamic State.

Football