Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said a possible “terrorist” motive is being investigated.
A man armed with an ax attacked and wounded eight people in a town in southern Sweden on Wednesday before he was shot and arrested.
“We heard a shout from the street. Then, we saw a man entering the store, shouting that he had been stabbed, ”Asa Karlqvist, a florist’s owner, told the local newspaper Vetlanda-Posten.
“Blood dripped from his shoulder, so we took towels and applied pressure to the wound,” she said.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said a possible “terrorist” motive is being investigated.
“In light of what has emerged so far in the police investigation, prosecutors have initiated a preliminary investigation into terrorist crimes,” he said.
Shortly after his statement, investigators at a police press conference said they had initiated a preliminary investigation into attempted murder with details “that make us investigate any terrorist motives”.
“But I can’t go into details right now,” said regional police chief Malena Grann.
Police said the man in his 20s attacked people in the small town of Vetlanda, 190 km (118 miles) southeast of Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city. His reason was not immediately known.
The man was shot by the police, who said that the conditions of the attacked and the aggressor were not immediately known. Authorities did not provide details on the identity of the suspect, who was taken to the hospital.
Local police chief Jonas Lindell said “it appears that the injuries are not fatal”, but could not give further details.
The events took place in central Vetlanda with the police saying that they received calls shortly after 14:00 GMT about a man attacking people with an ax. The police also said that there are five crime scenes in this city of about 13,000 inhabitants.
Lofven condemned “this terrible act” and added that Sweden’s internal security agency, SAPO, is also working on the case.
“They continually assess whether there are reasons for taking security improvement measures and are prepared to do so, if necessary,” he said in a statement.