Man, believed to be in his 30s, dies in hospital after being found with stab wounds on Gothenburg street

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

An Australian man has been stabbed to death in the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

Swedish police on Thursday confirmed an Australian man had been found in Odinsplatsen, a public space in the middle of the city, at 4.50am on Wednesday morning, Swedish time.

Newspaper Expressen said the man, in his 30s, was badly wounded and died in hospital. He was suffering severe spinal and abdominal injuries and later died in hospital.

Police believe the assault may have taken place in Drottningtorget, closer to Gothenburg’s central station, several hundred metres from where the man was found.

Commissioner Ben Wahlin said there was “absolutely nothing” in the man’s background to indicate he would be the victim of such a brutal crime.

“We do not understand why just this man was hit,” he said. “We are working on interviewing friends and relatives.”

The dead man moved to Gothenburg in the last European summer and had a Swedish girlfriend. He was born and raised in Australia. Police have doorknocked the area and are examining CCTV for clues.

“We want to be in touch with all those who have been in the area during the night, even if they do not consider themselves to have seen anything,” police spokesman Stefan Gustafsson said.

Forensic technicians and a police dog are examining the area where the man was found.

The Australian government is providing consular assistance to his family.

“At this stage there is an investigation underway and so we won’t be going into any specific details,” the foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, told reporters in Perth.

“But I can confirm that the Australian government is providing consular assistance. I’m not in a position to give any more details at this stage because the family is still being informed.”