Axe Attack Suspect in Sweden Avoided Deportation for Over a Decade Despite Failed Asylum Request

The 42-year-old suspect, Cwan Hassan, is accused of embarking on a violent axe attack in Sollefteå back on May 13 that left a 50-year-old man with a deep leg wound.

Court records and immigration files reviewed by the Samnytt news outlet show that Hassan should have been expelled from Sweden more than a decade ago, but was allowed to remain after authorities ruled that returning him to Syria was not possible.

Hassan first arrived in Sweden in July 2008 and applied for a residence permit for himself, his wife, and their children. The Swedish Migration Board rejected the application in December that year, finding that the family did not meet the criteria for asylum. The decision was upheld upon appeal in March 2010, with the presiding court noting that the family’s accounts contained “serious credibility deficiencies” and that their shifting statements undermined their claim. The court’s ruling noted that these inconsistencies “could not be ignored.”

Hassan further appealed to the Migration Court of Appeal, but his request for leave to appeal was denied, making the expulsion order final. Despite the decision, Hassan remained in Sweden. In November 2012, he lodged an enforcement objection, and officials at the time concluded that deporting him to Syria was not feasible. On that basis, he was granted permanent residence.

Since receiving residency, Hassan has been convicted of multiple crimes. His record includes repeated assaults on his wife, use of a false document, shoplifting, and several counts of illegal driving. In one previous incident, he assaulted the same man who was later the victim in the axe attack.

Back in May, emergency responders were dispatched to central Sollefteå after witnesses saw Hassan confronting a 50-year-old Iranian businessman. “My first reaction was that maybe they were joking or they were two friends,” one witness told police. “It’s not every day you see two people wrestling.”

However, the situation quickly turned violent, with the victim suffering a severe gash to his leg from an axe.

Members of the public intervened to help the injured man, who had just left his apartment to go to work. He was able to immediately identify his attacker as Hassan. The confrontation was part of an ongoing dispute that began when the Iranian businessman took over a hotel and restaurant previously run by Hassan’s brother. The change of ownership sparked a bitter disagreement over rent payments, drawing in relatives on both sides. According to police, the feud escalated into threats, harassment, vandalism, and multiple assaults, with the businessman’s car tires slashed and his property targeted.

Prosecutors have charged Hassan with aggravated assault and aggravated witness retaliation, alleging that the axe attack was carried out in revenge for the victim’s testimony in earlier legal proceedings.

Hassan has denied the offenses, telling investigators he does not recall what happened or how the fight began. “We had an argument. I don’t know what happened,” he said during questioning.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Karin Everitt is seeking a deportation order to be served after any prison sentence, but with a re-entry ban limited to 10 years rather than a permanent expulsion. She has declined to explain the decision to request a time-limited ban, stating only that it is for the court to decide the final outcome.