Stockholm attacker had sought asylum, was rejected

STOCKHOLM — Much like the flags on the Stockholm skyline — some still flying half-staff, others at their peak — people here were divided over their country’s friendly immigration policies two days after an asylum-seeker from Uzbekistan allegedly killed four people in the city’s deadliest extremist attack in years.

The Swedish capital was slowly, but resolutely, regaining its normal rhythm Sunday as details about the 39-year-old suspect emerged. Police said he had been ordered to leave Sweden in December after his request for a residence permit was rejected six months earlier.

Instead, he allegedly went underground, eluding authorities’ attempts to track down and deport him until a hijacked beer truck raced down a pedestrian street and rammed into an upscale department store Friday.

The suspect, who has been detained on suspicion of terrorist offenses, was known for having “been sympathetic to extremist organizations,” Jonas Hysing of Sweden’s national police said.

A second person was arrested on the same potential charge Sunday, and four others were being held by police. None of them have been identified.

Security officials in neighboring Norway, where a 17-year-old asylum-seeker from Russia was detained Sunday in connection with an explosive device found near a busy subway station, spoke of the alarming potential for a copycat effect.