Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said a possible “terrorist” motive was being investigated.
A man armed with an ax attacked and wounded eight people on Wednesday in a southern Swedish city before being shot and arrested.
“It simply came to our notice then. Then we saw a man enter the shop shouting that he had been stabbed, ”Asa Karlqvist, owner of a flower shop, told the local Vetlanda-Posten newspaper.
“Blood was spilling from his shoulder, so we got towels and applied pressure to the wound,” he said.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said a possible “terrorist” motive was being investigated.
“In light of what has emerged so far in the police investigation, prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into terrorist offenses,” he said.
Shortly after his statement, investigators at a police press conference said they had launched a preliminary investigation into the assassination attempt with details “that make us investigate any terrorist motive.”
“But at the moment I can’t go into details,” regional police chief Malena Grann said.
Police said the man, who was in his twenties, attacked people in the small town of Vetlanda, 190 km southeast of Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city. His motive was not immediately known.
The man was shot by police, who said the condition of the assailants and the perpetrator was not immediately known. Officials did not provide details about the identity of the suspect, who was taken to hospital.
Local police chief Jonas Lindell said “it looks like the injuries are not life-threatening,” but could not give further details.
The incident took place in central Vetlanda and police said they received calls shortly after 14:00 GMT about a man attacking people with an ax. Police also said there are five crime scenes in this city, about 13,000.
Lofven condemned “this terrible act” and added that Sweden’s national security agency, SAPO, was also working on the case.
“They are continuously assessing whether there are grounds to take security measures and are willing to do so if necessary,” he said in a statement.