Swedish police shoot man at Malmo central station after bomb threat

Swedish police on Monday shot and injured a man at the central station in Malmo, in southern Sweden, after witnesses said he made threats and claimed to be carrying explosives and firearms, law enforcement officials said.

The station in downtown Malmo, a major hub for regional rail traffic, was evacuated in the wake of the incident. There were no other injuries reported apart from the man fired upon, who was shot in the legs by a police officer. "The background and reason for this were that the man exhibited threatening behaviour. He carried two bags which he claimed contained firearms as well as explosives," police official Per-Olof Soyseth told a news conference.

The man, whose identity had yet to be ascertained, was being treated in hospital while the bags he had been carrying were subjected to controlled explosions by a police bomb squad in the central station, police said. Soyseth said that while it remained unclear whether the bags had contained any dangerous items, officers at the scene had needed to respond to developments under the assumption that it could be an act of terror.

Malmo police said it was increasing its presence at public places across the sea-side town of just over 300,000 people. Railway traffic to and from the station was suspended due to the ongoing investigation, the regional and national train operators said.

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