Russian police say terror not main angle in Surgut attack probe: report

Russian police said Saturday that "terrorism" was not the main angle of the investigation after identifying the attacker who stabbed seven people on the streets of a far northern city of Surgut.

File image of Russian police Source: AAP

"The version that the attack was a terrorist one is not the main one," the interior ministry's press service in the Khanty-Mansi region told the Interfax news agency, saying that the attacker had been identified and may have suffered from psychiatric disorders. 

The male attacker "carried out attacks on passers-by, causing stab wounds to eight" while "moving along central streets of the city" at around 11:20 am local time (0620 GMT) said Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes.

It said that armed police then arrived and used their weapons on the attacker and "liquidated" him.

The incident took place in a city some 2,100 kilometres (1,330 miles) northeast of Moscow in the oil-rich Khanty-Mansi region.

Two of those stabbed are in a serious condition while five more are in a stable condition, the government of the Khanty-Mansi region said in a statement, calling the attacker so far "unidentified."

It called for calm over the incident, saying that "in the interests of public calm and also of the investigation, citizens and media are recommended to use reliable information in assessing the situation until all the circumstances are established."