All the circumstances are not yet known surrounding the knife attack that occurred on Tuesday evening. But the first information that has emerged suggests that it could be what is commonly referred to as a frenzied attack, characterized by the lack of a rational motive or larger planning.
It's a very sudden aggressive outburst. There's nothing that explains why the person affected should be affected, says Sven Granath, criminologist and researcher at Stockholm University, and continues:
It can affect all possible victims. It can be men and women, young and old. That's what's so unpleasant about these crimes, it can also strike against quite vulnerable victims.
There are no exact figures on frenzied attacks that occur, but according to Granath's assessment, it happens on average 1-3 times per year in Sweden.
The perpetrators behind have some form of problem, and may also have committed other crimes. It can also be about conflicts in the environment, substance abuse problems and aggression problems.
Often there is some trigger, that something negative has happened to the perpetrator, shortly before.
But it doesn't have to have a connection to where and against whom it then happens, says Granath.
