Twenty-year-old Saga Forsgren Elneborg was discovered dead at her home in Örebro, west of the capital Stockholm, seven months into her pregnancy.
According to the prosecution, her boyfriend Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim, 22, a native of Somalia, killed her in April of last year because he did not want to deal with the alleged embarrassment of bringing his Muslim family to know that Saga was pregnant.
Ibrahim allegedly learned as a child that he “must date a woman of the same culture” and that it is “not okay” to date a “white” woman. Ibrahim had allegedly hidden his relationship with Saga from his mother for the two years they had been together.
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.
According to authorities, the Somalian has now been accused of killing his girlfriend, who was seven months pregnant. It appears Ibrahim has not been charged with the murder of the unborn child, however. Following the charge, a thousand-page arrest report containing photos of the bedroom crime scene, including a lamp cord, was released.
“Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim has killed Saga Forsgren Elneborg by suffocating and strangling her using pressure on her neck with an impact on the trachea and the blood supply to the head,” prosecutor Elisabeth Anderson stated in a statement.
She continued: “I mean that the murder took place in an honor context because the man wanted to preserve or restore his and his family’s honor 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. “It seems like my heartbeat is almost reaching my stomach,” he wrote. In response, Saga said, “It will be fine.”
Prosecutors say Ibrahim then went to Saga’s flat and “violently” strangled her to death, Aftonbladet reported.
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.”
April 10 is Ibrahim’s court appearance date. The trial is scheduled to run for fifteen days. He denies any wrongdoing.
