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Police cordon in the southern Swedish city of Vetlanda: Terrorist motive excluded
Photo: MIKAEL FRITZON / EPA
The knife attack with seven injured in the small Swedish town of Vetlanda was not a terrorist attack.
You rule out a terrorist background, the police said on Thursday.
A connection between the perpetrator and the victims could not be established either.
In the attack on Wednesday evening, a man stabbed passers-by, apparently indiscriminately, injuring seven people, three of whom were life-threatening.
The security forces had previously reported eight injuries.
Prosecutor Adam Rullman said the man is now being investigated for sevenfold attempted murder.
"At the moment there is nothing concrete that points in a different direction, but we are still at the beginning of the investigation."
The injured are seven men between the ages of 35 and 75.
The condition of the three seriously injured is now stable, said the hospital director.
During his arrest, the 22-year-old suffered a gunshot wound in the leg.
He is also being treated in the hospital, but his injuries are not life-threatening, according to the police.
The man comes from Afghanistan and lives in Vetlanda.
He was known for minor offenses.
"It is a nightmare and incredibly difficult for the relatives"
The act put the small town with its 13,000 inhabitants in shock.
"There are so many questions and one wonders what happened and what is behind it," said municipal director Magnus Färjhage at a press conference.
“It's a nightmare and incredibly difficult for the family members.
It's hard for all of us. "
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A heart-shaped bouquet of roses was placed on the main street of the city of Vetlanda one day after a knife attack
Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP
A few hours after the knife attack, the police thought it was a terrorist act and called on the security police.
Interior Minister Mikael Damberg said it was not unusual for the police and prosecutors to consider terrorism as a motive for such a horrific act.
But in the course of the investigation, the suspicion was not confirmed.
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mjm / dpa