Sweden attack: Man injures seven in stabbing attack
- Published
A man has injured seven people, three seriously, in a stabbing attack in a south Swedish town.
The assailant, who is in his 20s, struck in the centre of Vetlanda around 15:00 (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
Police are treating the case as attempted murder but also investigating the possibility of terror motives.
The man was shot by officers and is under observation in hospital. His condition is said to be non life-threatening.
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said the "horrific violence" was a reminder of "how frail our safe existence is".
"We face these despicable actions with the combined force of the community," he posted on Facebook.
Extra police officers have been put on patrol in the area.
What do we know of the attack?
Five different crime scenes, a few hundred metres apart, were identified, local police chief Jonas Lindell said.
One eyewitness, florist Asa Karlqvist, told local newspaper Vetlanda-Posten: "We heard a scream from the street. Then we saw a man enter the store, shouting that he had been stabbed.
"Blood was pouring from his shoulder, so we got towels and applied pressure on the wound."
Local resident Olivia Strandberg told broadcaster SVT she had seen from her window the suspect being taken away.
"I had just gotten to my apartment when my best friend wrote me and said, 'Don't go out!'" she said.
No details were given of the weapon used.
Initially, detectives began treating the incident as suspected terrorism, before re-classifying it as attempted murder.
According to the local police chief, the suspect is a resident of the area and previously known to police but in the past he was only suspected of "petty crimes", AFP news agency reports.
Has Sweden seen other attacks?
The terrorist threat level has been "elevated" since 2010 - level three out of five.
Two attacks have targeted the capital Stockholm: