Man injures 8 with axe in Sweden before being shot, arrested

Stockholm, March 4

A man armed with an axe attacked and injured eight people in a southern Swedish town Wednesday before being shot and arrested, police said.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said a possible terrorist motive was being investigated.

“In the light of what has emerged so far in the police investigation, prosecutors have initiated a preliminary investigation into terrorist crimes,” he said but didn’t elaborate.

Also read: Victims in Swedish knife-attack in stable condition

Shortly after his statement, investigators at a police press conference said they had started a preliminary investigation into attempted murder, with details “that make us investigate any terrorist motives”.

“But at the moment, I cannot go into details,” regional police chief Malena Grann said.

Hospital officials say three people wounded in an assault by a man using an ax in southern Sweden are in life-threatening condition and police have reduced the overall number of victims to seven.

The other victims of Wednesday’s assault in the small town of Vetlanda, 190 kilometres southeast of Goteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city, include two seriously injured people, two with moderate injuries and one who is slightly injured, the Jonkoping region said in a statement late Wednesday.

Police said the man in his 20s attacked people in the small town of Vetlanda, about 190 kilometres southeast of Goteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city. His motive was not immediately known.

The man was shot by police, who said the condition of those attacked and of the perpetrator was not immediately known. Officials did not provide the identity of the suspect, who was taken to hospital.

Local police chief Jonas Lindell said “it seems that the injuries are not life-threatening” but could not give further details.

The events took place in downtown Vetlanda, with police saying they got calls just after 1400 GMT about a man assaulting people with an axe. Police also said there were five crime scenes in this town of roughly 13,000.

Lofven condemned “this terrible act”, and added that Sweden’s domestic security agency SAPO was also working on the case.

“They continuously assess whether there are reasons to take security-enhancing measures and are prepared to do so if necessary,” he said in a statement.

Police said the man, who they would not identify in line with Swedish policy, is known to them for petty crimes. Overnight, officers raided an apartment where he was reportedly staying. The Expressen tabloid said the suspect was a 22-year-old man from Afghanistan.

Sweden’s Home Affairs Minister Mikael Damberg told broadcaster SVT on Thursday that the case was being investigated as attempted murder but all aspects would be considered, including whether it was a terror attack.

“It is obvious that you look at whether there are terrorist motives behind it, you have to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

Regional police chief Malena Grann said police were investigating whether there were any terrorist motives in the case. AP