Terror Attack Hits Stockholm
Swedish police arrested a man in the country’s capital of Stockholm for carrying out a deadly truck attack that killed four people and injured more than a dozen.
The man is in custody now and will face charges on the strongest degree of suspicion of committing a terror crime.
According to media reports, the suspect rammed the stolen beer truck in a brutal rampage against a crowd of shoppers outside the Ahlens department store. The result was devastating.
Images circulated in social media showed shocked bystanders, and shoppers scampered for safety.
The aftermath of the attack left a trail of blood on the pavement as well as injured people sprawled in the street.
The attack comes after trucks were used in terror attacks in Nice and Berlin in 2016.
Accounts of Witnesses
The truck attack terrified people around the shopping strip and witnesses recalled some horrific scenes.
Glen Foran, an Australian tourist, said the truck intentionally hit people along its way.
Foran said, “I turned around and saw a big truck coming towards me. It swerved from side to side. It hit people, it was terrible. It hit a pram with a kid in it, demolished it.”
Helena Reynis told Mirror Online she saw that truck pass her at “high speed.” She recalled scenes of screaming and panicking people.
Reynis said: “I was in Zara at Drottninggatan with my friend Birna Hrönn Gunnlaugsdóttir, we are about to walk out the store and then we hear people scream and run against us into the store and then we see the truck passing us in such high speed.”
Vehicle Attacks in Europe
The attack in Stockholm is not something new in the region. Several vehicles were used to launch attacks on pedestrians recently.
Last month, a man rammed into crowds on Westminster Bridge in London that shocked the British community. The suspect who was allegedly inspired by Islamic ideology drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three people. Two people died on the spot and one succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
In July 2016, a terrorist used a 20-ton truck to ram into crowds who had gathered in Nice to watch Bastille Day fireworks, killing 80 people including children and wounding at least 200. The bloody rampage ended when the terrorist was shot dead by the French Police at the seafront.
Germany was also a victim of this growing pattern of attack. Last December, 12 people were killed and at least 48 people were wounded when a truck drove into a Christmas Market in Berlin.
State Department Comment
The Department of State issued a statement, strongly condemning the terrorist attack. Extending their deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed, the spokesperson said they hoped for a full recovery for those injured.
“Attacks like this are intended to sow the seeds of fear, but in fact they only strengthen our shared resolve to combat terrorism around the world. The United States and Sweden are committed partners in this fight, and we stand ready to offer any assistance Sweden might require in investigating this brutal and senseless attack.”
