Swedish rapper wanted for attempted murder arrested in Bucharest by Europol mixed team
Khalil Haval, a 31-year-old Swedish rapper, has been remanded in custody for 30 days in Romania after being located in Pipera. He is suspected of attempted murder and extortion in Sweden.
Swedish rapper suspected of attempted murder captured in Bucharest after three years in Romania
Khalil Haval, a 31-year-old Swedish rapper sought by authorities in Stockholm on suspicion of organised crime, was recently detained by Romania's special forces from an apartment in the Pipera district, ProTV News reports. Romanian judges ordered his remand in custody for 30 days pending extradition to Sweden.
Haval is accused of attempted murder, serious threats and extortion of members of a rival gang in connection with an armed attack that took place in September 2024 in a district in southern Stockholm. A 15-year-old adolescent allegedly opened fire on the home of a musical artist. Both the target of the attack and another person in the house escaped unharmed, although the front door was riddled with bullets. Haval is not believed to have participated directly in the assault, according to investigators.
His name is also linked to the kidnapping of rapper Nils Einar Grönberg — later murdered — a case that attracted widespread interest in the Swedish press. Yasin Mahamoud and Haval Khalil were implicated in that kidnapping.
This is not the artist's first conviction: in 2021 he received a sentence of two and a half years imprisonment for his role in the kidnapping, robbery and extortion of a rival rapper. He had just been released at the time of his capture in Romania.
According to ProTV News correspondents, Haval had secured two shelters on Romanian territory — one in Otopeni, the other in Pipera — where he had reportedly lived for approximately three years. Special forces removed him from the Pipera residence. At the scene, substances suspected to be drugs of concern, two pistols — one with gas, the other with pellets — and a bulletproof vest were discovered.
Romanian authorities clarified that they do not have information about Haval's activities on Romanian territory and that he has not committed any offences in Romania. Police suspect the artist may have moved unimpeded across Europe during this period.
The capture was carried out by a mixed investigative team formed through Europol, with the aim of apprehending the singer and facilitating his extradition to Sweden. Prosecutors from the Bucharest Court of Appeal initially detained him for 24 hours; a European arrest warrant had already been issued in his name by judicial authorities in Stockholm.
Haval's court-appointed lawyer refused to comment on the accusations or procedures, according to ProTV News.
The Swedish Prime Minister responded after DIICOT announced the capture, stating to the local press: "Criminals from gangs cannot hide anywhere. When we say we will eliminate them one by one, we mean exactly that."
Haval remains in remand custody pending any eventual final decision on his extradition to Sweden.
Source: Știrile ProTV