King Carl XVI Gustaf has released a statement on behalf of the Swedish royal family, following the suspected terror attack in Stockholm on Friday. The 70-year-old king shared a message on the royal family's official website and Instagram account, saying: "It is with dismay the royal family and I have been informed of the attack in Stockholm this afternoon. The background and full extent of the incident is not yet known. We are closely following the developments but our thoughts are already now with the victims and their families."
According to local reports, a lorry smashed into the front window of Ahlens department store in central Stockholm, just before 3pm local time. Several people were injured in the incident on Drottninggatan (Queen Street), one of the city's major pedestrian streets, while at least three people have been reportedly killed. "There is total confusion. Many people are totally shocked," eyewitness Leif Arnmar told Swedish national broadcaster SVT.
King Carl XVI Gustaf has released a statement
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said that one person has been arrested, and that the incident is being treated as a suspected terror attack. Swedish brewery Spendrups, who owns the lorry, confirmed that their vehicle had been hijacked earlier in the day. The BBC reports that shots were also fired in another part of the city, although it is not clear whether the two incidents are connected.
The suspected terrorist attack comes just a couple of weeks after London was targeted. Khalid Masood drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday 22 March, before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer who was standing on guard outside the Houses of Parliament. On Friday it was announced that a Romanian woman, Andreea Cristea, who fell into the Thames during the rampage, became the fifth victim of the attack.
A lorry drove into a crowd in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday
At the time the Queen released a statement saying: "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence. I know I speak for everyone in expressing my enduring thanks and admiration for the members of the Metropolitan Police Service and all who work so selflessly to help and protect others."