A truck has driven into a crowd at a shopping center in central Stockholm, killing at least two people and injuring several on Friday, Swedish police said.
Swedish security services said at least 2 people were killed in what they said is believed to be a deliberate attack, according to Sky News.
Police said there are ‘a large number of injured.’
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said everything indicates the truck crashing into department store is “a terror attack.”
Broadcaster SVT says at least five people have been killed in the attack but police could not immediately confirm that. Swedish radio says at least three people have died.
Spokeswoman Towe Hagg would not confirm reports of shots fired in othe parts of the city.
Police said that a lorry ran over a crowd at Ahlens city (department store) and that people were injured.
Swedish brewery company Spendrups, which owns the truck, told TT News agency that it had been hijacked earlier in the day.
“It’s one of our distribution vehicles which runs deliveries. During a delivery to the restaurant Caliente someone jumped into the driver’s cabin and drove off with the car, while the driver unloads,” communication director Mårten Lyth said.
Homeland security officials say they are monitoring the situation in Sweden – truck mowing down pedestrians and reports of shots fired.
A witness said the truck came out of nowhere, Sky News reported.
“I went to the main street when a big truck came out of nowhere. I could not see if anyone was driving it but it got out of control,” the person said. “I saw at least two being run over. I ran as fast as I could from there”.
Live television footage on Friday showed smoke coming out of the upscale Ahlens department store on Drottninggatan Street, which the truck smashed into. The department store is part of Sweden-wide chain. The building includes several stores at street-level.
“We stood inside a shoe store and heard something … and then people started to scream,” witness Jan Granroth told the Aftonbladet daily. “I looked out of the store and saw a big truck.”
The Swedish news agency TT said several people have been rushed away in ambulances, and live television footage showed smoke coming out of the department store that the truck smashed into
A witness told TT news agency: “I also saw people with blankets over them,” he said. “The whole body was covered.”
Europe has reeled from a string of terror attacks involving drivers ramming trucks into populated areas. In July 2016, a truck plowed into a crowd at a waterfront promenade in the French tourist hotspot of Nice, killing 86 people. Police killed the driver, Mohamed Lahouiaej Bouhlel. The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility.
Just over two weeks ago in London, a driver linked to radical Islam crashed his rented SUV into a crowd on Westminster Bridge before attacking an officer on the grounds of Parliament. A fifth victim of his rampage died Friday: a Romanian woman who fell into the river below. Dozens of other people were wounded. The killer, Khalid Masood, was shot dead at Parliament.
Fox News’ Catherine Herridge The Associated Press contributed to this report.
#stockholm #truckattack pic.twitter.com/vevSA4gDj8
— Yordanka Terziyska (@Yoka_T) April 7, 2017
#BREAKING: Swedish police say a truck has driven into crowds injuring people on a main shopping street in central #Stockholm pic.twitter.com/n0WRvHEIlz
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) April 7, 2017
