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Sweden's Lindh dies after stabbing
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh has died after being stabbed by an unidentified man at a Stockholm department store. Lindh, 46, was stabbed several times in the chest, stomach and arms while shopping around 4 p.m. Wednesday at the upscale NK (Nordiska Kompaniet) store. "I have received with sorrow information that Sweden's Foreign Minister Anna Lindh died this morning at 5.29 a.m. of her wounds," Prime Minister Goeran Persson told a news conference Thursday. She died after undergoing surgery for more than 10 hours at Karolinska Hospital, Persson said. Lindh had severe internal bleeding, with injuries to her liver and stomach. Lindh, an outspoken campaigner for Sweden to join the euro in a referendum Sunday, was attacked just blocks from parliament. (Profile) Authorities said they did not think the stabbing was politically motivated. "It feels strange and it's difficult to understand," Persson said, adding that the Scandinavian country's tradition of openness was damaged by the killing. "The attack against her also hurt the society we've built up and in which we want to live in," he said. (Security concerns) Persson said the euro referendum would proceed, despite the stabbing. "We want to encourage everyone to vote on Sunday," he told reporters, adding that campaigning would come to an immediate halt but both sides would still be able to answer questions from voters. (Full story) Politicians from around the world have paid tribute to Lindh. Among them, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who described her death was "a terrible tragedy." "This is an appalling event. Anna was a good friend of mine," he told reporters Thursday. "She was someone who was full of life.... She represented everything that was wonderful about Sweden and about Europe." (More tributes)
Police in Sweden said a search was being carried out throughout Stockholm for the alleged attacker. A knife was recovered at the store, AP reported. Hanna Sundberg, who was shopping at the store, said she saw a man chase Lindh up an escalator from the basement. "She laid on the floor and it looked as if a tall man, wearing a peaked cap, was hitting her," she told AP Wednesday. "But when he ran away, he threw away a knife." Sundberg said Lindh told her: "God, he has stabbed me in the stomach!" Then, Sundberg said she saw blood. Lindh, one of the country's most admired politicians and No. 3 in the government, had been mentioned as a possible successor to the prime minister. A member of the Social Democrats, Lindh had headed the Foreign Ministry since 1998. She was a member of the Riksdag, or parliament, from 1982-85. She was married and had two children. Sweden, a Scandinavian country of nine million, had a reputation as being relatively safe, although Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in Stockholm in 1986. His attacker has never been caught. "For the Swedish people it brings back all the old horrible memories of ... Palme. It might mean Swedish politicians need security guards everywhere they go from now on," Reuters quoted Green Party leader Peter Eriksson as saying. "I sincerely hope it doesn't lead to that." Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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