Share :

Download PDF :

Deutsche Welle (9 April 2017)

Sweden is preparing for a nationwide minute of silence to honor the victims of the truck attack in Stockholm. Two suspects have been arrested so far, one of them a rejected asylum seeker from Uzbekistan.

All public life in Sweden is set to halt for one minute, as the nation remembers the four victims killed in the suspected terror strike three days ago. The country-wide event is scheduled for noon on Monday, authorities said.

Previously, the police confirmed the nationalities of people killed in the Stockholm truck attack, which is believed to be an act of terror.

The victims included two Swedes, one Briton and a Belgian national, who were killed when a rejected asylum seeker drove a truck through a crowd, Stockholm police official Jan Evensson told reporters.

"We have confirmed the identities of the dead, and their families have been informed," Evensson said.

The local authority in charge of monitoring those injured in the attack said that out of the 15 injured, 10 remain in hospitals, including a child.

At least four of the 10 are considered to be "seriously" injured, said spokesman Patrik Soderberg.

Thousands of people gathered in central Stockholm on Sunday for a vigil against terrorism and to honor the attack victims.

'LOVEFEST' VIGIL IN STOCKHOLM AFTER DEADLY ATTACK

Some 20,000 people gathered on Sergels Torg plaza on Sunday. The "Lovefest" vigil was a sign of unity against terrorism, two days after a truck attack on a busy pedestrian street which killed four people. "Fear shall not reign. Terror cannot win," Stockholm mayor Karin Wanngard told the crowd, saying terrorism would be defeated with "kindness and openness."

'Interest for extremist organizations'

Swedish authorities also announced on Sunday that the main suspect in the attack had been an asylum seeker from Uzbekistan who had his application rejected.

They added that authorities had been seeking the 39-year-old suspect for deportation, adding that he had expressed interest in militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.

"We know that he showed interest for extremist organizations like the 'Islamic State,'" said Swedish police chief Jonas Hysing.

Meanwhile, Swedish police arrested a second suspect accused of involvement in the attack.

"A person suspected of terrorist offenses by murder has been arrested," spokeswoman Karin Rosander told the Associated Press.

"Police have arrested a person and we appointed a public defender," said Helga Hullmann, a judge at the Stockholm District Court. Police have detained "about five people" in connection to the attack, according to authorities. About 500 people have been questioned.