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THE SWEDISH PRIME Minister has condemned the ‘horrific violence’ displayed in a suspected terror incident last night in the city of Vetlanda.
A man stabbed at least seven people, with some sustaining life-threatening injuries.
The suspect, who is in his twenties, was taken to hospital after being shot in the leg by police following the mid-afternoon attack on Wednesday in the southern city of 13,000 inhabitants.
Speaking to AFP, police said the man had used a “sharp weapon,” while local media reported that he had brandished a knife.
Police initially treated the incident as “attempted murder” but later changed it in a statement to include a “suspected terrorist crime,” without giving further details.
Three of those attacked were said to have suffered life-threatening injuries, while two others were in serious condition, according to information coming out of the hospital in Jonkoping where they were being treated.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven condemned the “horrific violence” in a statement published on his Facebook page.
“We face these despicable actions with the combined force of the community,” Lofven said.
“We are reminded of how frail our safe existence is,” Lofven added, encouraging people to have the victims in their thoughts, as well as health workers and police tending to wounded and working to restore peace.
Speaking at a press conference, regional police chief Malena Grann later clarified that a preliminary investigation was still under the designation “attempted murder,” but details had emerged that meant they were also looking into “potential terror motives.”
“There are details in the investigation that have led us to investigate whether there was a terror motive,” Grann said, without giving details.
Grann added the police are working closely with the Swedish intelligence service Sapo.
The suspect was a resident of the area and previously known to police, but in the past had only been suspected of “petty crimes.” Police did not specify if he was a Swedish citizen.
The extent of his injuries were also unknown but police said they believed they would be able question him.
Swedish intelligence services consider the terrorist threat to be high.
The Scandinavian country has been targeted twice by attacks in recent years.
In December 2010, a man carried out a suicide bomb attack in the centre of Stockholm. He died after only slightly injuring passers-by.
In April 2017, a radicalised Uzbek asylum seeker mowed down pedestrians in Stockholm with a stolen truck, killing five people. He was sentenced to life in prison.
- © AFP 2021.
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If one would write that the suspect is a male Afghan citizen who arrived in Sweden in 2018, would this be seen as racist by thejournal?
@Raymond Scott: No, not at all but it might get your comment deleted for stating facts.
@Raymond Scott: the thing I don’t get about that though is, it’s somewhat useless information to you and me but only serves to create a societal divide.
@Aranthos Faroth: useless info? To me it would be helpful so that next time I walk down the street I am more aware where danger could come from. If eg 90% of street robberies are committed by men with a red hat, I for sure will be more prepared next time I see a man with red hat. If eg I know that men commit 97% of sex crimes I for sure will not want men in my daughter’s safe space.
But you would not want to know, since you don’t want societal divide… ok.
@Raymond Scott: no it wouldn’t as that would speculative and unhelpful. They’re now saying it’s not terror related so again, no.
@Jen: Im living in Sweden. The police are saying terror but government are playing that down
@Niall Connolly: either way, no point in speculating and possibly spreading misinformation.
@Jen: just repeating what the police here are saying. no misinformation just fact
@Jen: when George Floyd died, was it right for the media to come out immediately and say the motive of police officer was of racist nature? Surely that was possibly spreading misinformation? Agree?
@Raymond Scott: no because it wasn’t spreading misinformation. He was treated differently because he was black.
What I don’t understand is why these terrorists attacks in Europe seem more common in countries like Sweden, England, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. While they rarely seem to happen in countries like Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia . Seems strange because I can’t think of any correlation to explain it.
@DK: Because ” Sweden, England, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.” exemplify the progressive western values that right wing radical religious are opposed to, while some of the others you mentioned have a bit of catching up to do.
@Francis Devenney: if an increase in people getting stabbed and run over by lunatics is progress I don’t want to progress.
@Podge: I don’t even think he was trying to be sarcastic either!
Sweden paying big time for the amount of refugees they let in over the past few decades, lived there it’s a great country
Why didn’t they just aim for his head ?
@Barry Teehan: Either
A. They were certain he wasn’t wearing an S-vest.
B. They wanted to question him about any associates and risked shooting to disable, rather than to stop.
C. They were aiming for his head and it was just a really bad shot..
It was an Afhgani citizen, with address in Sweden. Part of the “Afghan School Asylym”. This programm are now coming to an end, and those who don’t get a job are in risk of beeing sent home. Just fast.
What I think is a valid question for society in general is…
When should cimes be racislised? If at all?
What I do think is note worthy is when stereo typical Left or Right will and won’t racialise something. This hypocrisy / double standard in when things are racislised is very toxic for us all.
have your say