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It started simply enough — a candle in the corner, a lone teddy bear near the police tape and a white rose with a blue and yellow ribbon tied to a fence.
But by mid-morning, the makeshift memorials in central Stockholm were growing rapidly.
People came by the dozen and then in their hundreds to pause, pray and take photos on their phones.
Even though the crowd was large it was relatively quiet.
Just metres away, forensics officers poured through the crime scene — a stark reminder of the horror of Friday afternoon.
Heavily armed police guarded the area.
Their presence was both simultaneously reassuring and confronting.
Photo:
The presence of police officers is both reassuring and confronting. (ABC News: Niall Lenihan)
As mid-afternoon approached, roughly 24 hours on from the terrorist attack, several shed tears.
By then, an enormous, spectacular and moving display of flags, flowers, cards and candles had been erected.
"It's really pretty," Stockholm resident Agnus Ek said.
"It means that everyone cares about everyone and it's nice to feel we are together."
As night fell, people of all religions and backgrounds came together to pay their respects to the dead and injured.
The mood of the day was perhaps best summed up by the country's King.
"We are all shaken by what has happened," Carl XVI Gustaf said.
"At the same time, seeing people's concern for one another gives hope.
"It shows this force in our society. Those of us who want to help are many more than those who wish to harm us."
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, disasters-and-accidents, emergency-incidents, sweden
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