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| Arrest in Stockholm Truck Attack: ‘We Think He Is the Driver’ | Arrest in Stockholm Truck Attack: ‘We Think He Is the Driver’ |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| STOCKHOLM — The Swedish police said on Saturday that they had arrested a 39-year-old Uzbekistan-born man they believed had hijacked a beer truck and driven it into a crowd of people in Stockholm the day before, unleashing bloodshed and panic in a terrorist attack on the streets of the capital. | |
| A Swedish prosecutor and police officials did not identify the suspect, but Anders Thornberg, the head of the Swedish Security Service, said the man had been on the authorities’ radar some time ago. | |
| Mr. Thornberg said that the agency had followed up on information it received on the suspect last year, but that it did not lead to anything. He said the suspect was not on any current list of people the agency was monitoring. | |
| “The suspect didn’t appear in our recent files, but he earlier has been in our files,” he said at a news conference on Saturday. | |
| The Swedish national broadcaster SVT reported, meanwhile, that a bag with explosives had been found in the truck used in the attack, which killed four people and injured at least 15 others. | |
| On Saturday, the police chief, Dan Eliasson, said: “We have found something in the truck in the driver’s compartment. A technical device that should not be there. I cannot say whether this is a bomb or some sort of flammable material. That is under investigation.” | |
| Prosecutors said the suspect had not spoken, and there was no immediate word of any criminal charges. But Chief Eliasson said there is “nothing to indicate we have the wrong person.” He added, “We cannot exclude the possibility that others are involved.” | |
| Lars Bystrom, a spokesman for the regional police, said earlier on Saturday, “We have one person in custody, and we think he is the driver of the truck.” | |
| The rampage struck at the heart of a nation known for its peacefulness and tolerance, and turned a warm spring afternoon into a scene of terror. | The rampage struck at the heart of a nation known for its peacefulness and tolerance, and turned a warm spring afternoon into a scene of terror. |
| “Sweden has been attacked,” Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in a televised news conference on Friday. “This indicates that it is an act of terror.” | “Sweden has been attacked,” Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in a televised news conference on Friday. “This indicates that it is an act of terror.” |
| After a manhunt that brought transit systems to a halt and locked down Parliament, the man was detained in a northern Stockholm suburb on Friday and later arrested on suspicion of having committed a terror crime, the police said. | |
| Chief Eliasson would not say how long the suspect had been living in Sweden. “We are focusing on how he entered the country, where has he been. We need to establish what kind of contacts he had,” he said. | |
| He said there were clear similarities with the deadly terror attack in London last month, in which a British-born man used a vehicle to mow down a crowd of people on Westminster Bridge before he was shot and killed by the police. | |
| On Saturday, people placed flowers outside the department store as a memorial to the victims. Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm said that six of the injured had been released. The police said that eight people remained hospitalized. | |
| The first emergency call came in around 2:50 p.m. local time Friday as the truck mowed down pedestrians along Drottninggatan, a busy pedestrian shopping street. The truck, stolen just blocks away earlier in the day, came to a stop after slamming into the entrance of the Ahlens department store. | The first emergency call came in around 2:50 p.m. local time Friday as the truck mowed down pedestrians along Drottninggatan, a busy pedestrian shopping street. The truck, stolen just blocks away earlier in the day, came to a stop after slamming into the entrance of the Ahlens department store. |
| Photos from the scene showed a billowing cloud of black smoke rising from the store. | Photos from the scene showed a billowing cloud of black smoke rising from the store. |
| “We were running, we were crying — everyone was in shock,” said Katarina Libert, 32, a freelance journalist. “We rushed down the street, and I glanced to the right and saw the truck. People were lying on the ground. They were not moving.” | “We were running, we were crying — everyone was in shock,” said Katarina Libert, 32, a freelance journalist. “We rushed down the street, and I glanced to the right and saw the truck. People were lying on the ground. They were not moving.” |
| Ms. Libert was trying on clothes at the department store when she heard a boom and the walls shook. At first, she said, she thought the noise had come from people moving things around the store, but then the fire alarm went off and staff members told shoppers to leave the building. | Ms. Libert was trying on clothes at the department store when she heard a boom and the walls shook. At first, she said, she thought the noise had come from people moving things around the store, but then the fire alarm went off and staff members told shoppers to leave the building. |
| She said that she usually avoided busy areas that could be potential terrorist targets, but that she had decided to take the afternoon off to do some shopping. | She said that she usually avoided busy areas that could be potential terrorist targets, but that she had decided to take the afternoon off to do some shopping. |
| “Some people felt that this was just a matter of time,” she said. “Paris, Brussels, London and now Stockholm. I just had a feeling something like this would happen.” | “Some people felt that this was just a matter of time,” she said. “Paris, Brussels, London and now Stockholm. I just had a feeling something like this would happen.” |
| Elias Broth, 19, a senior in high school, was sitting on a bus at the intersection of Drottninggatan and Kungsgatan when he heard a loud noise coming from the right. | Elias Broth, 19, a senior in high school, was sitting on a bus at the intersection of Drottninggatan and Kungsgatan when he heard a loud noise coming from the right. |
| “I look up and I see the truck passing by, driving really fast. Then I heard a big boom when it crashed into people,” Mr. Broth said in a phone interview on Saturday morning. | “I look up and I see the truck passing by, driving really fast. Then I heard a big boom when it crashed into people,” Mr. Broth said in a phone interview on Saturday morning. |
| “After the truck drove into the people, everyone started running out of the bus to see what happened,” he added. “Some people ran to the victims. Mostly people were worried, confused standing around in shock.” | “After the truck drove into the people, everyone started running out of the bus to see what happened,” he added. “Some people ran to the victims. Mostly people were worried, confused standing around in shock.” |
| He said he knew right away that it was a possible terror attack: “You could sense that something was wrong. A truck driving at really high speed. I thought pretty instantly that it was a terror attack.” | He said he knew right away that it was a possible terror attack: “You could sense that something was wrong. A truck driving at really high speed. I thought pretty instantly that it was a terror attack.” |
| Mr. Broth said he stayed in the bus a bit longer, before taking shelter in a clothing store on Kungsgatan. “The first thing I saw when I stepped off the bus was a woman. Her body was in pieces,” he said. | Mr. Broth said he stayed in the bus a bit longer, before taking shelter in a clothing store on Kungsgatan. “The first thing I saw when I stepped off the bus was a woman. Her body was in pieces,” he said. |
| Vehicles have been used to attack people in several episodes in Europe in the past year. The Islamic State revived the idea of using cars as weapons after it broke with Al Qaeda in 2014. In the past year, Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the deaths of more than 100 people in Europe. | Vehicles have been used to attack people in several episodes in Europe in the past year. The Islamic State revived the idea of using cars as weapons after it broke with Al Qaeda in 2014. In the past year, Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the deaths of more than 100 people in Europe. |
| In France, a man drove into a crowd on a busy seaside promenade during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice. Another attacker plowed a truck into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin. And last month, an assailant drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near Parliament in London. | In France, a man drove into a crowd on a busy seaside promenade during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice. Another attacker plowed a truck into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin. And last month, an assailant drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near Parliament in London. |
| The attacks in France, Germany and Britain were seen by some as retaliation for those countries’ participation in wars in the Middle East. But Sweden is not involved in any military confrontations abroad. | The attacks in France, Germany and Britain were seen by some as retaliation for those countries’ participation in wars in the Middle East. But Sweden is not involved in any military confrontations abroad. |
| The country contributes only 35 soldiers to the American-led coalition battling the Islamic State; they serve only as trainers in northern Iraq and are not involved in combat. In Afghanistan, 50 Swedish soldiers are serving mainly as advisers, according to the Swedish Defense Ministry’s website. | The country contributes only 35 soldiers to the American-led coalition battling the Islamic State; they serve only as trainers in northern Iraq and are not involved in combat. In Afghanistan, 50 Swedish soldiers are serving mainly as advisers, according to the Swedish Defense Ministry’s website. |
| Nevertheless, the country has been a target of previous terrorist attacks. In December 2010, the same street, Drottninggatan, was the site of the first suicide bombing in the country. An Iraqi-born Swedish citizen, carrying several pipe bombs, detonated an explosive device but killed only himself. | Nevertheless, the country has been a target of previous terrorist attacks. In December 2010, the same street, Drottninggatan, was the site of the first suicide bombing in the country. An Iraqi-born Swedish citizen, carrying several pipe bombs, detonated an explosive device but killed only himself. |
| In February, President Trump suggested that Sweden’s tolerance of immigrants would lead to an extremist attack similar to those that had befallen France and Belgium. | In February, President Trump suggested that Sweden’s tolerance of immigrants would lead to an extremist attack similar to those that had befallen France and Belgium. |
| Moments after the attack on Friday, Sweden’s Parliament was placed on lockdown, trains were canceled and the police, who blocked off the affected area, urged people to stay at home and avoid the city center. | Moments after the attack on Friday, Sweden’s Parliament was placed on lockdown, trains were canceled and the police, who blocked off the affected area, urged people to stay at home and avoid the city center. |
| In his late-night address, Prime Minister Lofven vowed that the country’s progressive values would triumph over terrorism. | In his late-night address, Prime Minister Lofven vowed that the country’s progressive values would triumph over terrorism. |
| “If it’s a terrorist act, the aim is to undermine democracy, but such acts will never succeed in Sweden,” he said. “Our message is clear: You will never, ever win.” | “If it’s a terrorist act, the aim is to undermine democracy, but such acts will never succeed in Sweden,” he said. “Our message is clear: You will never, ever win.” |
| Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said in a statement on Friday: “One of Europe’s most vibrant and colorful cities appears to have been struck by those wishing it — and our very way of life — harm. An attack on any of our member states is an attack on us all.” | Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said in a statement on Friday: “One of Europe’s most vibrant and colorful cities appears to have been struck by those wishing it — and our very way of life — harm. An attack on any of our member states is an attack on us all.” |
| The authorities said they did not know whether the episode was an isolated assault or something bigger. Mr. Lofven said controls at Sweden’s borders had been tightened. | The authorities said they did not know whether the episode was an isolated assault or something bigger. Mr. Lofven said controls at Sweden’s borders had been tightened. |
| Fears from the attack reverberated in neighboring Norway, where the police said on Twitter that officers in the nation’s largest cities and at the airport in Oslo would be armed until further notice. | Fears from the attack reverberated in neighboring Norway, where the police said on Twitter that officers in the nation’s largest cities and at the airport in Oslo would be armed until further notice. |
| The attack took place just as Swedes were preparing for fredagsmys, or cozy Friday, the unofficial start to the weekend: a time typically spent at home with friends or family. | The attack took place just as Swedes were preparing for fredagsmys, or cozy Friday, the unofficial start to the weekend: a time typically spent at home with friends or family. |
| Peng Wu, a 35-year-old postgrad student from New York, was leaving a coffee shop near the shopping center when he saw people rushing toward him, many of them crying and in shock. | Peng Wu, a 35-year-old postgrad student from New York, was leaving a coffee shop near the shopping center when he saw people rushing toward him, many of them crying and in shock. |
| Initially, he said, he did not know what had happened, but as he made his way to the wife’s office, he saw people lying motionless and police officers with body armor rushing to the site. | Initially, he said, he did not know what had happened, but as he made his way to the wife’s office, he saw people lying motionless and police officers with body armor rushing to the site. |
| “The truck had driven through the street running over people,” he said. “I didn’t realize that until I saw people on the ground.” | “The truck had driven through the street running over people,” he said. “I didn’t realize that until I saw people on the ground.” |
| Mr. Wu moved to Stockholm in late 2013, and said the Swedish capital remained relatively calm despite the attack on Friday. | Mr. Wu moved to Stockholm in late 2013, and said the Swedish capital remained relatively calm despite the attack on Friday. |
| “My wife and I are struck by the low police presence here,” said Mr. Wu. “I expected something like this because it’s happening all over Europe.” | “My wife and I are struck by the low police presence here,” said Mr. Wu. “I expected something like this because it’s happening all over Europe.” |
| Mr. Wu said he did not plan to leave Stockholm, and that he expected locals to bounce back quickly from the fatal assault. “Swedes are pretty resilient people,” he said. | Mr. Wu said he did not plan to leave Stockholm, and that he expected locals to bounce back quickly from the fatal assault. “Swedes are pretty resilient people,” he said. |
| While the city was under lockdown, a hashtag sprang up on Twitter, #openstockholm: Residents were encouraged to open their homes to commuters, tourists and others who were stranded after the transit system was shut down. | While the city was under lockdown, a hashtag sprang up on Twitter, #openstockholm: Residents were encouraged to open their homes to commuters, tourists and others who were stranded after the transit system was shut down. |
| On Saturday morning, Mr. Broth, the high school senior, said he was replaying events in his mind. | On Saturday morning, Mr. Broth, the high school senior, said he was replaying events in his mind. |
| “I’ve been thinking a lot about what I could have done more,” he said. “I would have wanted to chase the truck and pull him out of the truck. That’s what I’ve been thinking, what I could have done better.” | “I’ve been thinking a lot about what I could have done more,” he said. “I would have wanted to chase the truck and pull him out of the truck. That’s what I’ve been thinking, what I could have done better.” |
| Saturday afternoon, on his way to work at a restaurant in southern Stockholm, Mr. Broth said he was going to stop by the scene of the attack. | Saturday afternoon, on his way to work at a restaurant in southern Stockholm, Mr. Broth said he was going to stop by the scene of the attack. |
| “I’m going to leave flowers at the place where it happened,” he said. “I’m staying home until then.” | “I’m going to leave flowers at the place where it happened,” he said. “I’m staying home until then.” |