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Man detained for triple-stabbing

A 32-year-old man from Motala in central Sweden has been remanded in custody on three counts of attempted murder after stabbing his ex-girlfriend, her mother, and her mother’s friend on Saturday.

Published: 19 November 2008 06:47 CET

All three victims escaped without life-threatening injuries from the ordeal, which came about following a quarrel between the 32-year-old and his ex-girlfriend over the couple’s children, reports the Motala Tidning newspaper.

The suspect claims to have no recollection of the incident.

“He says that he can neither admit nor deny it. He has no memory of the matter due to the consumption of alcohol,” prosecutor Wilhelm Storck told the newspaper.

On Saturday, the man went looking for his ex-girlfriend, who was staying with her mother, following a dispute the two had about their children.

After the woman’s mother denied the 32-year-old entry, he left only to return later with a large kitchen knife.

When the mother opened the door, he stabbed her in the chest and arm.

He also injured his former lover and a third woman at the house who tried to stop the attack.

The 32-year-old was arrested a few hours later with a knife in his pocket, although it remains unclear whether it was the same knife used in the attack.

Over a thousand people join protest against Stockholm attack

The demonstration, which was organised by the Left Party and the Green Party together with Expo, an anti-extremist magazine, was held outside the Moment theatre, where masked assailants attacked a lecture organised by the two parties on Wednesday.

In the attack, the assailants – described as Nazis by Expo – let off smoke grenades and assaulted several people, three of whom were hospitalised.

“Let’s say it how it is: this was a terror attack and that is something we can never accept,” said Amanda Lind, who is expected to be voted in as the joint leader of the Green Party on Sunday.

She said that those who had attended the lecture had hoped to swap ideas about how to combat racism.

“Instead they had to experience smoke bombs, assault and were forced to think ‘have they got weapons’?. The goal of this attack was to use violence to generate fear and silence people,” she said.

EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

More than a thousand people gathered to protest the attack on a theatre in Gubbängen, Stockholm. Photo: Oscar Olsson/TT

Nooshi Dadgostar, leader of the Left Party, said that that society needed to stand up against this type of extreme-right violence.

“We’re here today to show that which should be obvious: we will not give up, we will stand up for ourselves, and we shall never be silenced by racist violence,” said said.

Sofia Zwahlen, one of the protesters at the demonstration, told the DN newspaper that it felt positive that so many had turned up to show their opposition to the attacks.

“It feels extremely good that there’s been this reaction, that we are coming together. I’m always a little worried about going to this sort of demonstration. But this feels safe.”

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