Swedish police shot an armed man in front of the Royal Palace in Stockholm

Swedish police shot an armed man in front of the Royal Palace in central Stockholm on Tuesday evening, after receiving information about a violent person. The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries that are not life-threatening, however.

Officers intervened after being alerted to the presence of an armed individual in the palace area. Stockholm police spokesperson Susanna Rinaldo confirmed to AFP that the man had been shot and taken to hospital.

According to the Swedish publication Expressen, the man allegedly approached the palace guards with a knife and asked to be shot. Police have opened an investigation into aggravated threats against a public official and an aggravated knife offence. No further details have so far been provided about the man's identity or the exact circumstances of the incident.