A 17-year-old immigrant boy has been arrested for the suspected rape of a 37-year-old man while holding him at gunpoint, the Fria Tider news outlet reported.
The teenager arranged a meeting with his alleged victim in Malmö for a reason yet not established. During the meeting, the immigrant reportedly directed a firearm at the man, then proceeded to rape and rob him.
According to Fria Tider, the boy has an ostensibly Arabic name and is registered at an address in Malmö. He was born in 2000.
Prosecutor Ida Killeslätt told the Sydsvenskan daily that the operational assumption is that the boy agreed to sell sex to his victim. However, no evidence of this has been found so far.
"There is no relation between the plaintiff and the suspected 17-year-old. However, they appear to have known each other from before," Killeslätt explained.
According to Fria Tider, the boy was charged with gross rape, attempted extortion, assault and unlawful threats. Charges of robbery were later dropped to a lack of evidence.
The Swedish authorities stressed that it is highly unusual for minors to be arrested in Sweden, let alone for the suspected rape of older men. However, the prosecution argued that there was a risk that the boy could destroy evidence and continue to commit crimes.
"There is a risk that the suspect could communicate with third parties and in this way affect the investigation," Killeslätt said, stressing that there was no viable alternatives, such as referring the suspect to the social services.
The suspect is known by the police and has a record for traffic violations. The penalty for rape is up to four years in prison.
READ MORE: Swedish Feminist Hushes Up Refugee Sex Assault Against Own Daughter — Reports
The Swedish city of Malmö has seen five reports of group rape in recent months, which is indicative of the situation in Swedish urban areas in general, as the number of reported rapes has risen by 50 percent in the past two years alone. Overall, Sweden saw a record of 7,230 rapes reported in 2017. According to the Expressen newspaper, only 8 percent of reported rapes are solved.
In the fall of 2017, a private survey, unapproved by Swedish authorities, revealed a prevalence of immigrants in sexual crimes, with over 90 percent of gang rapes reportedly perpetrated by people of non-Swedish descent.
READ MORE: Sweden Sees Spike in Rapes Amid Migrants' Speculated Prevalence in Sex Offenses
