A man has injured seven people, three seriously, in a knife attack in a town in southern Sweden.

The 22-year-old assailant struck in the centre of Vetlanda  on Wednesday.

Police are treating the case as attempted murder but have not ruled out a terror motive.

The suspect was shot in the leg by officers but is in a stable condition in hospital and has been questioned by police.

At a news conference, police said the man was arrested with a knife in his hand, and confirmed he is an Afghan citizen. The suspect moved to Sweden in 2018, local media said.

According to the local police chief, he was previously known to law enforcement agencies but was only suspected of “petty crimes”, AFP news agency reports.