Masked 'Neo-Nazis' Assault Migrants In Sweden

Dozens of masked men, thought to be members of neo-Nazi gangs, attacked migrants in Stockholm on Friday night amid rising tension over immigration, Swedish police said.

Video footage showed a number of men dressed in black rampaging in and around the city's main train station, followed by officers.

Anti-riot police and helicopters were deployed around the centre after hearing that extremists were planning "aggression on unaccompanied migrant minors".

One witness said: "I was passing by and saw a masked group dressed in black ... start hitting foreigners. I saw three people molested."

Up to 100 people with their faces covered had gathered on the Sergels Torg pedestrian square, a popular meeting point for young people, including unaccompanied migrants.

Police said four masked men were questioned after they handed out anti-migrant leaflets urging Swedish citizens to organise illegal protests against suspected refugees.

One man was charged with assaulting a police officer, while the others were charged with being masked in public - illegal in Sweden - and with causing a public disturbance.

Police spokesman Towe Hagg said by midday on Saturday officers had not received any complaints of assault.

Around "100 hooligans" from the AIK and Djurgarden football clubs had gathered on Friday in order to "sort out the criminals coming in from North Africa", an online forum, citing sources, reported.

Sweden has been one of the top destinations for asylum seekers coming to Europe, receiving a record 160,000 arrivals last year.

The country, with a population of 9.8 million, has one of the highest proportion of refugees per capita in the EU.

It has recently taken a tougher stance on migration, and has experienced a sharp drop in new arrivals since photo ID checks were introduced this month.

Sweden also expects to expel tens of thousands of people over several years as it struggles to cope with the influx of asylum seekers.

On Monday, social worker Alexandra Mezher was murdered at a refugee centre allegedly by a Somali-born asylum seeker.