British man killed in stockholm lorry attack

A British man killed in the Stockholm lorry attack has been named
as 41-year-old Chris Bevington.

Two Swedes and one Belgian also died in the attack on Friday,
when a hijacked lorry was driven into a store.

His family said they were devastated by the "untimely and tragic
death" of the "wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close
friend to many".

The suspect, a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan, had been facing
deportation, Swedish police said.

Mr Bevington worked as a director with music streaming service
Spotify and was based in Stockholm with his family.

His father John said: "We are all devastated by the untimely and
tragic death of our talented, compassionate and caring son Chris.

"A wonderful husband, son, father, brother and close friend to
many.

"The family requests absolute privacy at this incredibly difficult
time to mourn his passing in peace."

In a press conference on Sunday, police said the suspect was
known to have extremist sympathies.

A further 15 people were injured in the attack. Ten are still being
treated in hospital, four of them in a serious condition.

Police later said they had found a suspect device inside the lorry ,
which had been hijacked from a beer company before hitting the
Ahlens store.

No terrorist group has claimed to be behind the attack.

A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: "Stockholm Police have
confirmed that a British man was killed during the attack in
Stockholm.

"We are supporting his family in Sweden and in the UK. Our
thoughts are with them and all those affected at this terrible time.

"We will stand shoulder to shoulder with Sweden as they deal with
this tragedy."

'Marginal character'

Stockholm police said the suspected attacker, arrested later on
Friday, had previously been sought by authorities for deportation.

He had sought residency in Sweden in 2014, but his application
was rejected last year. He had expressed support for extremist
organisations including the Islamic State group, police said.

While he was known to security services, he was seen only as a
"marginal character", Sweden's National Police Commissioner Dan
Eliasson added.

Meanwhile, a second suspect has been placed under formal
arrest.

Reuters news agency said it was on "a lower degree of
suspicion" than the first suspect.

Police have interviewed more than 500 people over the incident,
Sweden's TT news agency reports.

Thousands of people have gathered in a square in central
Stockholm on Sunday for a vigil against terrorism.

Prime Minister Theresa May pledged solidarity with Sweden in the
wake of the attack, with a Downing Street spokesman saying she
had called her counterpart, Stefan Lofven, to express her
condolences.

The spokesman added: "She was clear that the UK stands firmly
by Sweden's side, and they agreed on the importance of working
together to tackle these threats, which we all continue to face."

Sweden has taken in nearly 200,000 refugees and migrants in
recent years - more per capita than any other European country.

However, there was a drop in numbers last year after the country
introduced new border checks.

Separately, more than 300 people have gone to fight in Syria and
Iraq, making Sweden per capita one of the biggest exporters of
jihadists in Europe.