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, police 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, but gave no further details.
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Police are seen in the area after several people were attacked in Vetlanda, Sweden, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (Agência de Notícias Mikael Fritzon / TT via AP)
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, about 190 kilometers (118 miles) southeast of Goteborg, 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 the identity of the suspect, who was taken to the hospital.
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Local police chief Jonas Lindell said that “it appears that the injuries are not fatal”, but could not give further details.
The events took place in central Vetlanda, with police saying they received calls shortly after 2 pm 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, was also working on the case.
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“They are continually assessing whether there are reasons to take increased security measures and are prepared to do so if necessary,” he said in a statement.