Running Summary:
- Stockholm authorities have confirmed that four people have died and 15 are injured, following the truck attack that took place outside Ahlens department store in the city. Swedish police have also confirmed one person has been arrested.
- Police said on Twitter that the person arrested “may have links to the incident. ”
- Prime Minister Stefan Lofven says the truck crash 'is an act of terror' and asks people to stay off the streets
- Authorities have released the following photo of a "person of interest" in today's terrorist attack.
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Update 3:35 pm: After conflicting reports over whether suspects were in custody, Swedish Police have now confirmed that they have detained a man who was ‘near’ the scene of the attack without providing further details on his potential involvement. Police confirmed the detained man matched the image they released earlier today though they declined to comment on the identity or background of the person in custody.
At this point, Swedish officials have set up 'border controls' to check people leaving the country and police are working on the assumption that this was a terrorist attack.
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Update 2:15 pm: With no official arrests made, the Swedish police were hunting the driver of a hijacked beer truck that slammed into a building in downtown Stockholm, killing at least three people and injuring many others in what the prime minister described as a terror attack. Officers showed a man in a hooded sweatshirt they were pursuing. Disclosing few details, they said they don’t know if one person or several people were behind the attack according to Bloomberg. Security has been strengthened across the country, with much of the capital’s downtown cordoned off and rail services at the central station suspended.
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Update 12:01 pm: In a press briefing, the Swedish police says that there have been no arrests made after the truck incident in Stockholm. It said it can’t confirm number of casualties or injured after the attack; refers to hospitals, and added that it is not “not in contact” with truck driver, or drivers.
Other details per Bloomberg:
- The police also showed the below image of a person of interest, tied to the place of the truck crash around time of incident.
- The Swedish Security Service has activated the international network.
- Police has strengthened presence throughout country
- No incidents after truck attack
- Sweden had no indicitions that attack would come, Military not called in
- Police comments in media briefing on the Stockholm attack
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Update 11:25 am: While reports that a suspect has been arrested have been denied so far by the police, moments ago a clip was released which allegedly shows the moment a terror suspect is wrestled to floor by Swedish police after attack. An arrest has yet to be confirmed, as SVT state television reports that the truck driving suspect is still at large.
#BREAKING video: moment terror suspect is wrestled to floor by #Swedish police after attack.pic.twitter.com/8PO77PEBPj
— Aüd™ (@CodeAud)
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Update 11:02 am: Another statement from the Swedish police, which said it currently cannot rule out that attack in Stockholm is an act of terror, given recent events in the rest of Europe. The police refutes a previous report, and say that no one has yet been arrested. They also note that there are reports of gun shots from different parts of Stockholm, although police can’t currently confirm those.
They add that many people are injured, and there are also deaths and that as reported earlier, Stockholm’s central station has been evacuated
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Update 10:26 am: A video of the immediate aftermath from the attack has emerged:
Watching the events unfold after a truck drove into Åhléns on Drottninggatan. pic.twitter.com/kxJLUOAsns
— Emil Stenqvist (@svammel)
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Update 10:05 am: The Swedish Security Service says a ‘large number’ of people have been injured in the truck incident in central Stockholm. At least two people have been confirmed dead. The Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven says one person has been arrested, according to Ekot. Newspaper Aftonbladet reports that the Spendrups truck that drove into people was hijacked, while Expressen says three armed med jumped out of the truck.
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Update 9:58 am: per the latest reports, up to 5 people have been killed with one of the suspects reportedly in custody, while Prime Minister Lofven says that the incident is a "terror attack." As of this moment, all subway traffic in Stockholm has been shutdown.
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Update 9:52am: according to Expressen, three armed men jumped out of the truck that hit people at the department store. Additionally, Swedish police is urging people to stay away from Stockholm City.
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In what appears to be the latest vehicle-based terrorist attack, a truck has rammed people on a street in central Stockholm, according to witnesses cited by Aftonbladet newspaper. The incident took place when a truck is said to have plowed into a department store, causing multiple casualties.
A worker at Ahlens department store said the truck drove into the store’s perfume department. He said an alarm went off inside the store and everyone was asked to leave the building, SVT reported.
A photo posted online shows the truck after it crashed into Åhlens department store, with the caption stating that the vehicle came from a direction in which trucks are not allowed.
Helicopters are circling above the area, a witness told SVT. Footage posted on Twitter shows panicked pedestrians fleeing the scene.
NBC Eyewitness Maria Nathalie was in the department store at the time of the incident. "People started running down the stairs when the fire alarm started," she told NBC News. "And when we came down to the bottom of the building all we could see was a lot of smoke and there was someone who helped us get out on the other side of the building.
There is an unknown number of injured people in the incident, media reported citing Towe Hägg at Stockholm police. Swedish police have said that the Truck incident may be terror related.
#Periscope: Crazy stuff in #Stockholm, #dead people, https://t.co/I0dVqlHJjW
— F.Micheli (@franki_kuka)
Three people have been killed in the incident, Sveriges Radio reported. There were unsubstantiated reports of shots being fired, SR said.
Baserat på bilden så ser det ut som att lastbilen kört in via Kungsgatan (där lastbilar inte ens är tillåtna) pic.twitter.com/qxj9ciCx3I
— Victor Björklund (@BjorklundVictor)
Lifeless bodies were seen lying on the street, several witnesses told Expressen.
Martin Svenningsen, reporter on P4 Extra, is on the street: "I saw at least three dead, but there are probably more. It's a complete mess here."
A witness told Aftonbladet says: "I saw hundreds of people ran, they ran for their lives... I turned and ran well."
#BREAKING: video from the scene #Stockholm pic.twitter.com/d3hfQzJVFf
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1)
Many ambulances are on scene
Just nu: En lastbil ska ha kört in i en folkmassa på Drottninggatan i centrala Stockholm. Fordonet ska ha kört in i varuhuset Åhléns. pic.twitter.com/9Tn2ZpLBzu
— Omni (@omni_red)
According to Aftonbladet, a police car is driving around central Stockholm, shouting “warning, terrorist attack” through the loudspeakers.
Live Feed:
According to police, the incident took place at 14:53 local time.
2017-04-07 14:53, Kontroll person/fordon, Stockholm Samtal om fordon skadat persoenr på Norrmalm https://t.co/GYl8hw1sJr
— Polisen Stockholm (@polisen_sthlm)
