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| - The small Swedish town of Vetlanda was in shock on Thursday after a stabbing attack that left seven injured, with media reporting the suspect as a 22-year-old Afghan who arrived in the Nordic country in 2018. Prosecutors said Thursday the case was being investigated as attempted murder, but police have also spoken of details that had emerged indicating "potential terror motives" without specifying further. The suspect was taken to hospital after being shot in the leg by police following the attack in the town of 13,000 people in southern Sweden. "Right now we are a municipality in shock and given what we are hearing from elsewhere the whole country is in shock," Vetlanda Mayor Henrik Tvarno told a press conference. "There are so many questions that we are looking for answers to. What has happened, what is behind this? It is a nightmare," Tvarno added. On Thursday, several police officers patrolled the area where the bloody attack occurred the day before. A bouquet of red roses and candles had been placed near the scene of one of the stabbings. "It's a small town and we've never had something like this happen before and I think it's quite shocking," Ulrika Lovfors, a 54-year-old Vetlanda resident working at the municipal building in the city centre, told AFP. "You never know what's going to happen," she added. Three of those attacked were said to have suffered life-threatening injuries, but were in stable condition, while two others were in serious condition, according to the local health authority in Jonkoping where they were being treated in hospital. Public prosecutor Adam Rullman on Thursday stressed the investigation was still classified as "attempted murder," but that it was in its early stages and the focus was on determining what exactly had occurred. "It is too early both to confirm and dismiss any motives," Rullman told AFP. Rullman said the suspect not yet been questioned on what happened. The prosecutor also explained that in the event of it being designated a terrorist crime it would be handled by a special unit within the Prosecution Authority. "They have not deemed it necessary for them to take over the investigation at this stage," Rullman said. Police told AFP the man had used a "sharp weapon," while local media reported that he had brandished a knife. Police did not specify the man's nationality, but according to several media reports, he was originally from Afghanistan, had arrived in Sweden in 2018 and was awaiting a decision on a residence permit. Several thousand young Afghans have travelled to Sweden to seek asylum in recent years, with many arriving via Iran. Initial reports said eight people hade been injured but a police statement early Thursday revised the number to seven. The suspect was a resident of the area and previously known to police, but in the past had only been accused of "petty crimes", including small-scale cannabis use, according to local media reports. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called it an "attack on innocent people" but he too noted the investigation remained an attempted murder probe. "A lot is still unknown, but one thing is certain and that is that every attack against innocents will be met by the joint strength of all of Sweden," Lofven said. "Fear and horror should never be allowed to become part of our daily lives," the prime minister added. Swedish intelligence services say the possibility of an Islamist extremist attack was considered high, with the Scandinavian country having been targeted twice in recent years. In December 2010, a man carried out a suicide bomb attack in the centre of Stockholm. He died after only slightly injuring passers-by. In April 2017, a radicalised Uzbek asylum seeker ran over pedestrians in Stockholm with a stolen truck, killing five people. He was sentenced to life in prison. The country has also seen extremist violence linked to the far-right. In 2015, a racially motivated attack at a school left three dead. tl-jll/mjs
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