Stockholm attacker was rejected asylum-seeker, police say

Police in Stockholm say the truck attack suspect from Uzbekistan was an asylum-seeker who had his application for a residence permit in Sweden rejected and was being sought by authorities for deportation.

Jan Evensson of the Stockholm police told a televised news conference on Sunday that the 39-year-old suspect’s request was rejected in June 2016 but police could not find him for deportation because he was not at the address he had given.

Jonas Hysing of Sweden’s national police says “we know he has been sympathetic to extremist organizations.”

Evenssen said police are holding five more people in connection with the deadly attack Friday and have questioned more than 500 others.

He said the four victims killed in the Stockholm attack included one person from Britain, one from Belgium and two Swedes.

The Stockholm county that keeps track of those hospitalized by the truck attack says of the 15 injured, 10 remain in three hospitals in the city, including one child.

Spokesman Patrik Soderberg said in a statement that four of the 10 are considered to be “seriously” injured and the remaining six, including the child, are slightly injured.

Soderberg said Sunday that “an important task” for caregivers is to continue giving “long-term psychological support to those who need it” after the attack.

ALSO

Four people are killed and several injured in Stockholm truck crash

Truck attack angers Swedes, raises questions about policies

Swedish prime minister calls deadly truck crash a ‘terror attack’