THREE people have been killed in a shooting attack at a hair salon in Sweden.
In Uppsala, a city about 37 miles north of Stockholm, gunshots rang out in the downtown area a day before a popular spring festival expected to attract over 100,000 attendees.
A major police operation is underway after shots rang out at Vaksala Square.
Police, who confirmed three dead, said the attack was staged by a masked gunman.
Media reports said at least one suspect escaped on an electric scooter after the early evening shootout.
Police mentioned in an official statement that they were alerted by several residents reporting hearing what seemed to be gunfire resonating from the city center.
“Several people have been found with injuries that indicate gunfire,” the police said.
A large area was cordoned off, and several investigative measures were underway at the scene, they added.
It is understood that cops are hunting for a suspect in dark clothes who reportedly fled on a scooter.
One witness told the local media outlet Aftonbladet: “There was a shot and then I heard screams.”
Another witness said: “I saw [the suspect] come around a corner and then it started banging.”
Cops are yet to reveal the motive behind the attack.
Police spokesman Magnus Jansson Klarin said: “We have three people confirmed dead, but we have not confirmed their identities.
“We received reports of a masked person on an electric scooter, we are looking into those reports.”
Swedish media said witnesses heard several shots at a hair salon in the centre of the city.
According to the SVT public broadcaster, one of the individuals killed was a suspect under investigation regarding a foiled plot targeting a family member of gang leader Ismail Abdo.
Uppsala’s mayor Erik Pelling said he was “shocked and dismayed” by events.
“I am also angry that it could happen,” he added.
“We are forced to live with these crimes. I am frustrated that we have not been able to tackle this problem more effectively,” Pelling said.
Sweden has suffered from a wave of gang-related violence for more than a decade that has included an epidemic of gun violence.
In February, 10 people were killed in the Swedish city of Orebro in the country’s deadliest ever mass shooting.
A 35-year-old unemployed loner opened fire on students and teachers at an adult education centre.
Sweden – a land that spawned the joyful music of Abba and dependable brands Volvo and Ikea has now become a byword for ultra-violence.
More than 30 bombings rocked the country in January, mostly aroundthe capital Stockholm, as ruthless drug gangs vied for supremacy.
Many of those involved are baby-faced hoodlums killing for cash and misplaced street credibility.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted: “We don’t have control over the wave of violence.”
And the Swedish underworld is exporting its mayhem.
In four months last year, at least 25 young Swedes on suspected contract-killing or bombing missions were arrested in neighbouring Denmark.
