Somalian man 'strangles heavily pregnant girlfriend to death' in suspected honour killing in Sweden
4 April 2024, 14:21 | Updated: 4 April 2024, 14:49
A pregnant woman has been strangled to death by her boyfriend in a suspected honour killing, Swedish prosecutors have said.
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Saga Forsgren Elneborg, 20, was seven months pregnant when she was found dead at her home in Örebro, west of capital Stockholm.
Her boyfriend Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim, 22 - originally from Somalia - killed her in April last year because he did not want to face the supposed shame of introducing pregnant Saga to his Muslim family, prosecutors said.
They said Ibrahim grew up believing that he "must date a woman of the same culture" and dating a "white" woman was "not okay".
Saga and Ibrahim had been together for two years - a relationship he concealed from his mother, they said.
In a statement issued by their lawyer, Saga's family said it had been a "long and painful wait" since her death in April last year.
The Somalian has now been charged with the murder of his seven-month-pregnant girlfriend, police said. It appears Ibrahim has not been charged with the murder of the unborn child, however.
A thousand-page arrest report was issued following the charge which contained pictures of the crime scene in their bedroom, showing a lamp cord.
Prosecutor Elisabeth Anderson said in a statement: "Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim has killed Saga Forsgren Elneborg by suffocating and strangling her by means of pressure on her neck with an impact on the trachea and the blood supply to the head.
She continued: "I mean that the murder took place in an honour context because the man wanted to preserve or restore his and his family's honour by killing the woman who was carrying his child."
Text messages between the two showed Ibrahim telling Saga in April last year that he would tell his family about their relationship and their expected child.
Saga died later the same night.
In the messages, Ibrahim said he was nervous about telling his family. He wrote: "Feels like I can almost feel my heartbeat all the way down to my stomach."
Saga told him in response that "it will be fine".
Prosecutors say Ibrahim then went to Saga's flat and "violently" strangled her to death, Aftonbladet reported.
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The child - a boy - also died inside Saga's womb, prosecutors said.
He had also previously suggested to Saga that she have an abortion after discovering she was expecting a child, the text message also revealed.
There is no evidence to suggest Ibrahim's family were involved in the Saga's death, local media said.
Saga's mother told Nerikes Allehanda: "She was so happy. She would move to a new apartment and start her life as a mother. This is the worst thing imaginable."
Ibrahim will appear in court on April 10 and the trial will last 15 days. He denies any wrongdoing.
