Lindh killer 'may have left Sweden'

Anna Lindh's murder shocked the nation

The killer of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh may have slipped out of the country, police have admitted.

The assassin, who used a craft knife to kill Ms Lindh in a Stockholm department store, has eluded capture despite a massive manhunt.

Police announced a breakthrough on Monday, confirming that DNA traces had been found on a baseball cap left behind as the killer fled.

The website of Sweden's biggest-selling newspaper, Expressen, said on Tuesday that police had made an arrest in the case, but the report was swiftly denied by official police spokesmen.

There's no certainty that he's in the country, but there's no certainty that he's left Leif Jennekvist Stockholm police

"Police have made no breakthrough in this investigation but continue to receive tips," spokeswoman Stina Wessling told reporters in Stockholm.

The identify of a man caught on CCTV at the NK store shortly before Ms Lindh's murder remains a mystery.

"We want to talk to him...with a very high priority," said Stockholm police commissioner Leif Jennekvist on Monday.

More than 100 names have been offered to police since the CCTV pictures were published at the weekend, but police say no single strong lead has emerged.

Silent tributes are still being paid to Anna Lindh

The killer could be foreign, or could have left the country, Mr Jennekvist said.

"There's no certainty that he's in the country, but there's no certainty that he's left," Mr Jennekvist said.

The DNA found on the baseball cap does not match any of the 10,000 samples held in police records.

Police are anxious to avoid a repeat of the failure to solve the 1986 murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme, which happened only a few blocks away from the scene of the Lindh murder.

In that case, the murder weapon was never found and a man convicted was freed on appeal.

Mr Jennekvist denied that the Lindh murder hunt was stalling.

"We have good witness testimony, we have findings discovered along the escape route. We have secured DNA traces. It is a good investigative situation," he said.

Interpol

The knife used to kill Ms Lindh is being scrutinised for forensic evidence. UK experts, who have more sophisticated techniques available, have been called in to help.

Interpol has also been contacted by Swedish officers. The DNA from the hat may also be compared with international records.

The murder of Ms Lindh happened only days before Sweden's euro referendum, as Ms Lindh played a leading role in the Yes campaign.

The vote went ahead as scheduled, with voters rejecting membership of the currency by 56% to 42%.