Swedish Asylum Worker Killed at Refugee Center

A country of 9.8 million people, Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, putting it among European Union states with the highest proportion of refugees per capita.

Ms Mezher, who had been working with migrant children aged between 14-17, was rushed to Sahlgrenska Hospital but later died of her injuries.

Police did not reveal the identity or nationality of the 15-year-old suspect, and said the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

A minor was arrested on suspicion of murder or manslaughter after the incident in Molndal in western Sweden, news agency TT reported.

The government insists the law is needed to stem the flow of refugees even though Denmark and Sweden recently tightened their borders – a move that prompted Germany and Austria to turn back new arrivals heading for Scandinavia.

Members of Ms Mezher’s family were flying in from Lebanon and Israel today ready to attend her funeral. The police request for more resources comes greater attention is being focused on allegations of violence by young migrants across Europe, with some countries expressing doubt about their ability to integrate them into society.

In 2014, reported 148 incidents of threats and violence among asylum seekers and the staff and the Agency’s accommodation and facilities, previous year the figure had risen to 322.

Mr. Lofven also promised more resources for police, saying that security forces were taxed by the recent influx of immigrants.

‘We are forced to respond to many disturbances in asylum reception centres.

Some of the police call-outs to asylum housing in the past year have included physical arguments and arson attacks directed at the accommodation centres themselves. “The situation is completely unsustainable”. But incidents elsewhere have set the entire country on edge.

Deadly attacks are relatively rare, but in August an asylum-seeker from Eritrea killed two people in an IKEA store, reportedly after being denied a residence permit.

A Gothenburg police spokesman said: “The public prosecutor has deemed this as a special case due to the nature of the crime and will ask for the boy to be held in prison until he goes to trial”.

“I felt a big shock. We have a lot of work to do here” Lippens said, though “this is the worst case yet”.

A cousin said: “She was a person who wanted to do good, who wanted to be good”.