“A very unpleasant story,” Bjarne Andersson, who was on guard for the Värmland County police, told news agency TT.

The assault, classified as attempted murder by police, occurred at 9pm Friday night. The boy, who lived with his family at the camping site, was playing alone in the campground’s playground.

“Suddenly someone come from behind, put a noose around his neck and pulled him up into a tree,” Andersson told TT.

“But he doesn’t know how many people it was,” said Andersson.

Under interrogation, the boy could also not say anything about the age of the culprit or culprits.

Criminal inspector with Värmland Police, Pernilla Palm, told Aftonbladet the only thing the boy could recollect was that one person was wearing a white t-shirt.

After struggling to not suffocate for ten minutes, the boy was saved by someone who happened to be passing by.

“It really was about how long you can stand on your toes,” Palm told Aftonbladet. “It could have been really bad.”

The police have safeguarded the rope as evidence.

“But we don’t have any other tracks to follow,” Andersson said late Saturday night, asking for the public’s help.

The boy will be examined more thoroughly Sunday in the hospital. He is badly inflamed from the noose.