Sweden: Ikea stabbing suspect was declined residency permit

A 36-year-old Eritrean man has confessed to the deadly stabbing of two people at an Ikea store in central Sweden, his defense lawyer said Thursday.

Police say the reason for the stabbing is unclear, but they do not believe it was politically motivated.

Agency spokeswoman Johanna Mahlen said officials had twice rejected a residency application from the suspect since he arrived in Sweden in 2013, reportedly from Italy where he had been a fisherman.

Vasteras police said they were not aware of any motive for the attack that killed a 28-year-old Swedish man and his 55-year-old mother, and were waiting to question the main suspect after he recovers from surgery for unspecified severe injuries.

The footage has not been officially verified by police, who have also yet to confirm whether any knives on sale in the shop were used in the attack.

The 35-year-old has not yet been interviewed due to the serious nature of his injuries.

The men were staying at the same housing center in an adjacent city, but had no known ties to their victims, police said.

“Local police across the region have been tasked with taking these measures, to be there for safety purposes for everyone there – those who work there and those who live there”, Vastmanland police spokesman Per Agren said, as quoted by Reuters.

The store in Vasteras, which is about 70 miles (115km) west of the capital Stockholm, is one of the largest in the country.