2021 Vetlanda attack
| 2021 Vetlanda stabbing attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Vetlanda, Sweden |
| Date | 3 March 2021 15:00 (UTC-2) |
| Target | Civilians |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 8 (including the perpetrator) |
| Perpetrator | Unknown |
On 3 March 2021, seven people were stabbed during a suspected terrorist incident in Vetlanda, Sweden.
Attack
At 15:00 local time, near the Bangårdsgatan area of the southern Swedish city of Vetlanda, a man went at a mass stabbing rampage in the city's streets, attacking random pedestrians with an axe.[1] Seven civilians were stabbed.[2] The attacker, an Afghan man in his 20s,[3] was shot by police and wounded, before being arrested. His identity and motives are currently unknown. A terrorism investigation was launched.[4]
All casualties, including the perpetrator, were hospitalised. As of 4 March 2021[update], three of those were in life-threatening, critical condition;[3][5] two were seriously injured, two others were moderately injured and one individual was slightly injured.[6]
Stefan Löfven, the Prime Minister of Sweden condemned the attack,[7] calling it "heinous".[8][9]
Suspect
The arrested suspect is a male Afghan citizen in his 20s and lived in an apartment in Vetlanda. According to public records he was registered as arriving in Sweden in 2018. He moved to Vetlanda in April 2020,[3] from a nearby town. According to neighbours he spoke Swedish poorly and had no English knowledge, which made communication with him difficult. They also suspected he was mentally ill. He was frequently helped by a woman from the social services. He had a previous conviction for drug offences[10] and was known by the police for commiting minor offences.[11] Swedish newspaper Expressen claims the suspect is 22 years old.[5][11]
References
- ^ Holroyd, Matthew (3 March 2021). "Sweden stabbing: Seven people injured after suspected terrorist attack, say police". Euronews. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "03 mars 15:33, Polisinsats/kommendering, Vetlanda". Swedish Police Authority (in Swedish). 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
23.36 Uppdatering gällande antalet skadade. Siffran på antalet skadade som drabbades av den misstänkte gärningsmannen är sju. Tidigare har uppgifter om åtta skadade personer förekommit.
[23:36 Update regarding the number of injured. The number of injured by the suspected perpetrator is seven. There have previously been reports of eight injured people.] - ^ a b c Jönsson, Nils (4 March 2021). "Dådet i Vetlanda – det här vet vi om den misstänkte gärningsmannen". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "Man injures 8 with ax in Sweden before being shot, arrested". Associated Press. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Three have life-threatening wounds after Sweden ax attack". Associated Press. 4 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Tanaka, Sofia (4 March 2021). "Man anhållen efter attack i Vetlanda". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Johan, Ahlander; Ringstrom, Anna; Soderpalm, Helena (3 March 2021). Heinrich, Mark; Zieminski, Nick (eds.). "Swedish police investigating possible 'terror motives' in knife attack". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ Adkins, William (4 March 2021). "Swedish police suspect 'terror motives' could be behind Vetlanda attack". POLITICO Europe. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "Uttalande av statsminister Stefan Löfven med anledning av händelserna i Vetlanda". Government of Sweden (in Swedish). 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Svahn, Clas; Carlsson, Mattias (3 March 2021). "Polisen söker igenom misstänkte mannens lägenhet". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ a b Malmgren, Kim; Holm, Gusten; Andersson, Hannes Lundberg; Mossige-Norheim, Thea; Sjöshult, Fredrik (4 March 2021). "Den gripne mannen: 22-åring dömd för cannabis". Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
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