Train passengers in Sweden have ‘breathing problems’ after liquid thrown on them
TRAIN passengers were left with breathing problems in Sweden tonight after a masked man threw liquid on them as the carriage doors slammed shut - trapping them inside.
By Dion Dassanayake, Patrick Christys & Aletha Adu
PUBLISHED: 00:00, Wed, Feb 22, 2017
The attack happened on a subway train at Sankt Eriksplan station in Stockholm, where emergency services rushed to the scene.
One passenger onboard said commuters were left in a state of panic, most suffering from breathing problems and others desperately rushing for the exits.
Reports initially stated the man threw a rucksack into the carriage, but Swedish police have confirmed it was a noxious liquid instead – the motives behind the incident or the identity of the man involved are not yet known.
One witness, Alexander, 22, was on his way home from work and sat far back in the subway car when he noticed that people started to scream.
He said: "Suddenly lots of people were running back toward me. They kept both their mouth and eyes closed and cried and coughed.
"It seemed like pepper spray, or whatever it was that was thrown out, and we got huge respiratory problems.
"Then when the train arrived at Fridhemsplan they evacuated it."
The driver reportedly told a passenger a man in dark clothing and a hood sprayed something into the train then walked away.
After passengers were evacuated off the scene, the train was moved to the Akeshov, where the carriage was examined.
After a review, it was reportedly concluded that there was no trace of liquid within the carriage, and staff were unsure where exactly the liquid was thrown.
Jens Mårtensson a duty officer at the Stockholm police said, according to a Swedish news-site: “We do not know what it was, but it was certainly not fatal.”
