Spotify Manager Killed In Sweden Terrorist Attack


Spotify manager Chris Bevington, 41, was among the four people killed in a terrorist attack in Sweden on Friday when ISIS sympathizers drove a stolen delivery truck at high speeds into a busy shopping district in Stockholm.

15 people were injured, nine hospitalized, four in critical condition, and a pet dog was also killed.

Police have arrested two men, but their search continues. An Uzbek national who sympathized with ISIS and is believed to be the driver of the stolen truck was arrested in the evening following the attack, and another man was arrested later that evening. Witnesses describe up to three terrorists leaping from the crashed truck, opening fire on devastated shoppers and stabbing their way to the subway system where they made their escape.

Chris Bevington was among those killed in the attack. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced his sorrows in a Facebook post.

“It is with shock and a heavy heart that I can confirm that Chris Bevington from our Spotify team lost his life in Friday’s senseless attack on Stockholm. He has had a great impact on not just the business but on everyone who had the privilege to know and work with him. There are no words for how missed he will be or for how sad we all are to have lost him like this.”

Chris Bevington was a director of global partnerships at the music streaming service Spotify. His family described him as “a wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to many.” The attack claimed the lives of two Swedish citizens, a Belgian, and Mr. Bevington who is from the UK.

He was born in South Africa and the family moved to Surrey, England while he was still of a young age. A middle child of three, Mr. Bevington went on to start a family of his own with his wife Annika in 2012. The couple has a son together.

Never forgetting Chris’s first impressions of Africa, the Bevingtons asked for donations to the Oxfam charity in lieu of wedding presents.

“Oxfam has always been my charity of choice as it strikes a chord with me for the work they do, with a particular focus on improving all aspects of life in Africa.”

Spotify’s Stockholm office where Chris Bevington was working is just a short ways away from the Ahlens Mall where the terrorists attacked. Sweden is considered by statisticians as one of the safest countries in the world, so the attack came as a surprise, to say the least.

Bevington was among those mowed down by the truck.

Thousands gather after a terrorist attack in Stockholm, Sweden. An Uzbek man has been arrested and held on terrorism charges following the attack which killed four people and injured another 15 when the hijacked truck crashed into the front of Ahlens department store. [Image by Michael Campanella/Getty Images]

Thousands of people attended a memorial concert on Sunday in the square outside the department store where the truck crashed. Flowers blanketed the square as people came together to renounce terrorism and promote peace.

The Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced that a memorial will also be held tomorrow, April 10. He had a firm message for the terrorists.

“You cannot suppress us. You cannot control our lives. You will never win.”

Spotify is a popular music streaming service developed by a start-up in Sweden. It has about 50 million paying subscribers. The death of a Spotify employee has meant that the reach of terrorism has extended into the tech industry. Co-workers and family remember Chris Bevington fondly and asked for peace and privacy for the family as they go through this difficult time.

In addition to Chris Bevington, three other people were killed. A Belgian woman, a Swedish person, and an 11-year-old Swedish girl. Four people remain hospitalized in intensive care. The attack comes just 16 days after a similar attack in London which left five people dead.

[Featured Image by Michael Campanella/Getty Images]

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