Two Dead In Sweden Knife Attack

A stabbing incident happened in a school in Sweden on Thursday, which resulted to the death of one teacher and one student. Two people were also injured in the Sweden knife attack before the attacker, who was armed with a large knife or sword, was shot by police.

The attack happened in Kronogarden, which has a large immigrant population, in the city of Trollhattan. The struggling industrial city is located around 45 miles north of Goteborg, the second biggest city in Sweden. Police said the 23-year-old suspect was brought to a hospital where he died.

The nation was stunned by the attack since violent crimes rarely happen in the country. A statement from King Carl XVI Gustaf said Sweden was in shock and he was overcome with sorrow after he was informed about the incident.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of Sweden said it was a “dark day for Sweden” as he made his way to school. He added that he was thinking about the victims and their families, the students and staff, and the whole community where the attack happened. He also said he could not describe what the people are feeling as of the moment.

Regional police spokesman Stefan Gustafsson said the suspect was shot by police officers after they arrived at the scene. He said it was a “very traumatic experience” and the man was shot when the police went into the school. The police said a blade was used to slash the victims, which included a 20-year-old teacher and a 17-year-old student. Another teacher and 15-year-old student were severely injured in the Sweden knife attack.

Another spokeswoman for the police, Maria Randsalu, said the suspect lived in Trollhattan and had no criminal record. The police are still in the dark on the motive of the Sweden knife attack.

Two Dead In Sweden Knife Attack - image credit: aljazeera.com

Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reported that the school was established in 2009 and has over 400 students from pre-school up to ninth grade. News photographer Stefan Bennhage, who was at the scene of the Sweden knife attack, said the place was in “complete chaos” and one ambulance crashed into the wall of the school after it failed to stop.

An English-language news outlet, The Local, revealed that one student said they were inside their classroom when one of the sisters of a classmate told her that a “murderer” was inside the school. The students locked the door of the classroom, but their teacher was still outside. They tried to warn him but the suspect appeared in the corridor wearing a mask and sword before he stabbed the teacher. The suspect started chasing the student who escaped by going inside another classroom.

Swedish news outlets revealed that the suspect wore a mask and students initially thought it was part of a Halloween prank.

Violent attacks in Swedish schools are extremely rare, unlike in the United States. Sweden is known for its social welfare system. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention reported in 2009 that no school shooting with multiple victims has happened in Sweden.

Stockholm University criminologist Felipe Estrada said the entire nation was unsettled by the Sweden knife attack.

Professor Estrada said Swedish schools are normally safe from lethal or aggravated violence and they are considered as safe places for children. He added that it is extremely rare to “see lethal violence between people” who do not know each other or against children.

Professor Estrada also said that the results would have been worse if the attacker carried an automatic machine gun. The main production facility of Saab is located in Trollhattan, where the Sweden knife attack happened. Production was stopped from 2011 to 2013 when a holding company took over the car manufacturer. Saab was set to be reinvented as a producer of electric vehicle, according to the holding company.

Posted by James Fried on Friday October 23 2015, 11:51 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0