Roundup: School stabbing spree suspect dies in Swedish hospital

A mask-clad attacker suspected of stabbing children and staff at an elementary school in west Sweden on Thursday died in hospital hours after being shot by police at the crime scene.

Police said they were looking into racist motives after the 21-year-old suspect killed a teacher's assistant in Trollhattan before wounding three children, the youngest of whom died in hospital in the afternoon, news agency TT reported.

"A person entered the school armed with a knife or a sword," police spokesperson Stefan Gustafsson told public broadcaster Swedish Television.

The two injured children were both in their teens, according to hospital staff who said one of them was in critical condition while the outlook for the other was stable.

Sporting what appeared to be a Halloween costume with a Star Wars mask, the suspect posed for a picture with two students around 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), before attacking an assistant who decided to intervene, daily newspaper Aftonbladet reported.

The suspect then attacked three children before officers fired two shots in his direction, police said, one of which struck his torso.

According to Aftonbladet, the suspect had recently interacted with neo-nazi websites, but several people who knew him said the stabbing spree was unexpected.

"He is very calm and reserved. If this is true, it is a total shock for me. It cannot be true," one of his coworkers told the daily newspaper Expressen.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven expressed his sorrow for the victims before clearing his schedule and traveling to the town of some 45,000 residents.

"This is a dark day for Sweden. I am thinking of the victims and their families, students and staff, and all of the affected community. No words can describe what they are going through right now," Lofven said in a statement.

The Swedish Security Service told Aftonbladet it was cooperating with police in their investigation of the attack. Endit