The Kristinstad School Stabbing
Perpetrator: Laaiti Ekenstéen
Age at the time: 16 (May 16th, 2005)
Status: Alive
Location: Nti Gymnasiet, Kristinstad, Sweden
Day of the Attack: January 10th, 2022
Weapons: 4 knives
Motive: Unclear/ Inspiration from Hugo Jackson (mostly his mental help)/ Mental Illness/ Desire for Mental Help
Punishment: Three years in juvenile detention (SIS)
Charges: 3 counts of attempted murder, 2 counts of grossly unlawful threats, payment to victims.
Laaiti Ekenstéen was born on May 16th, 2005 in Staffanstorp, Sweden but moved later and eventually settled in Hanaskog, Sweden. As a child, he exhibited some behavior that showed he was violent. He experienced hallucinations throughout his life. When he was 10, he met a boy named Hugo Jackson on roblox. They bonded over common interests and the fact that they were both from Sweden. They talked through discord and skype. As they grew up, they remained friends. They only hung out a few times in person, since they lived around an hour away from each other. They would have sleepovers sometimes. Laaiti got into knife crimes specifically, but he was also into shootings such as the Christchurch Mosque shooting and the Columbine High School massacre. He was also into far right ideology, which he bonded with Hugo over. Laaiti was the one who got Hugo into the far right. Hugo said that he and Laaiti could joke about things that people wouldn't understand, because it isn't socially acceptable. He claims that junior high is when he began to have violent thoughts. They would also share videos of shootings with music over it. They would livestream together, having one talk and the other text in the chat. His parents did not like Hugo, since he was a bad influence. They were not meant to talk to each other.
There was an incident that caused Laaiti's parents to take his computer and make him cut all contact with Hugo. In 2021, they met up at a mutual friend's home. They drank vodka and Hugo had brought his airsoft guns wrapped in a confederate flag. They took photos with and of the weapons and flag. They were sent to a group chat and Laaiti's mother saw it on his computer. Hugo told people that they were real, but they were actually airsoft. Laaiti could now only use the computer in the kitchen with his mother being able to see him. He got his computer back a few months later. Some claim a classmate reported Hugo to the police due to the photos being sent in a class chat, but they did not attend the same school. He could have been reported by a friend, since that happened often, but some claim it was Laaiti's mother. All that matters is the police knew exactly who Hugo was.They used: Discord, Messenger, Whatsapp,Telegram, Skype, Twitch, Instagram, Snapchat, Archival websites, and phone calls.
On August 19th, 2021, Hugo commited the Eslöv school stabbing. Laaiti saw a re-upload of the stream. He kept contact with Hugo. At 11am on September 7th, 2021, three police officers came to the Nti Gymnasiet and seized Laaiti's phone. He had a cracked black LG phone and a 5 digit passcode. They returned it to him, because nothing was found on it. They took it due to his contact with Hugo, and possibly the fact he is credited in his manifesto, although they may not have known at the time. Hugo called them “Blood Brothers”. In Laaiti's manifesto, he says, “If people paid attention, listened, talked to me, and tried to help, all of this could have been avoided.” He made a list of targets and he planned to attack the classroom and then let the police get him. He mentions that he did not want his attack to be deadly, but that statement could have been made to help him get a reduced sentence. He reportedly planned the attack only a week before. 5 days before his attack, he wrote that he was not mentally okay. A few more quotes from Laaiti: “help this country and cleanse it of the sins of our people" “If I do this, I will be able to get the right help and feel better for the rest of my life.”
“If I don't do it, it will probably happen sooner or later.”
"I'm not like you. I'm not going to sit still and watch as our countries are torn apart. l'm going to take matters into my own hands,"
Laaiti attended the NTI Gymnasiet in Kristianstad, Sweden. It is a technology school.
January 10th, 2022: Laaiti wore a black face mask, a black sweatshirt, black cargo pants, black shoes, black fingerless gloves, a belt with a speaker attached that would play “Don't Stop Me Now” by Queen, and he brought 4 knives with him. He only used one. He claims these knives were chosen to avoid killing, but to cause damage. He did not put on the music and the face mask until later. In the morning, around 8am, he sat on a staircase. He sat on his computer before school. He was approached before class by his teacher who told him ti hesd up to class. Laaiti did not respond and the teacher got on the elevator with a student. He put his laptop away before class and left his backpack on the stairs. He put the speaker on his belt around 9am. He put 3 out of 4 knives in his pockets and put on his face mask. He put on the music and then made his way to the classroom, holding one of the knives. Students could hear it when he came in. He walked to his teacher began to try and stab and fight with him. The teacher blocked but ended up stabbed in the arm and leg. He stabbed a similar aged student, who was in worse condition than the teacher but returned to school soon after, in the back. He attempted to stab another male student near his face. He stabbed a desk and a few people were trapped inside with him. A male asked what happened and Laaiti did not respond. He grabbed the knife again and pointed it towards them until they left. After all the students ran out of the room, he called the police on himself. In the call he says “I just committed a school attack. And I regret it.” “There's blood on the knife and there's blood on my gloves and I regret it. I'm panicking. I know what the hell I'm doing.” The police arrested him soon after. They claim he did not resist, but there was also a claim of aggravated assault.
16 schools closed over this event, including the NTI Gymnasiet.
Laaiti's quotes to police during the investigation: “When I did it, I wasn't thinking much at all," “There was pressure on me that I had to. It was just kind of like a feeling, that I had to do this.”
A few quotes from classmates:
“He is right himself”
“I haven't talked to him much”
“I don't think he had any friends”
Laaiti was represented by a lawyer named Björn Attnarsson. He claims it was a vent. It was a cry for help from Laaiti and he should not be severely punished. Attnarsson called for his sentance to be 1.5 years and not 2.5, which later became 3 years. He paid compensation to each victim. He denied that he was guilty of attempted murder but admitted to aggravated assault. He was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD but it is claimed during investigation that there was no connection between this and his attack since there was no lack of judgement and development.
Items Seized: His hard drive, speakers and knives.
Charges:
Attempted Murder [3 Counts]
Serious Unlawful Threats [2 Counts]
