President Donald Trump cited a non-existent incident in Sweden, baffling many – not least Swedes.

He told a crowd of supporters at a rally in Florida: “You look at what’s happening in Germany, you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this. Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible.”

It was not entirely clear which incident President Trump was referring to, as many on Twitter pointed out, including the former Swedish prime minister: “Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound.”

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Some of those contacted the official @Sweden Twitter account – which is manned by a different Swedish citizen each week – to ask: “What happened in Sweden last night?”

It was down to Emma, a school librarian, to allay concerns voiced from people around the world: “ No. Nothing has happened here in Sweden. There has not been any terrorist attacks here. At all. The main news right now is about Melfest.”

Melfest is the music competition which selects Sweden’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The hashtag #lastnightinSweden was soon trending on Twitter, and the Swedish embassy in Washington has asked the State Department for clarification.

President Donald Trump’s comments just weeks after one of his key advisers, Kellyanne Conway, cited a non-existent attack dubbed the “Bowling Green massacre”.

Some people suggest President Trump might have been referring to a clip aired on Fox News on Friday night of a documentary about alleged violence committed by refugees in Sweden.