Stockholm, Sweden. A truck drove into a crowd today in an apparent terrorist incident with the death toll now standing at 5 and a number more in critical care as authorities try to reconstruct just what has transpired in the heart of European tolerance.
The Swedish Prime Minister has said everything indicates that the Stockholm truck crash which has killed at least five people and left several injured is “a terror attack”. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident in central Stockholm, the Swedish police said on Friday on their website.
The incident occurred near Queen Street in Central Stockholm shortly before 3pm, local time.A vehicle drove onto the pedestrian street Drottninggatan and into a department store building, killing at least five people and injuring at least eight, local authorities stated.
Local police speculate that given what has happened in other parts of Europe, we cannot currently exclude that this is a terrorist crime.”It is understood the truck was hijacked or stolen from a brewery company Kall Ol.Emergency services are attending the scene and people are still running from the area as multiple gun shots reportedly accompanied the attack.” Stockholm police stated.
Stockholm Newspaper Aftonbladet quoted a witness saying they saw hundreds of people running for their lives near the Ahlens mall.Another witness told the newspaper that the out-of-control truck ran over at least two people. In related accounts, shocked witness told Swedish Television News they saw two people lying on the ground after the truck ploughed through the pedestrian filled street.
The European Union has offered Sweden support and solidarity. “An attack on any of our member states is an attack on us all,” said EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker. He went on to add,”One of Europe’s most vibrant and colourful cities appears to have been struck by those wishing it and our very way of life harm.”
Stockholm now joins other cities recently hit by terrorist attacks including Dusseldorf, St.Petersburg and London.