An 18-year-old man armed with a sword attacked a high school in central Sweden on Friday, killing one person and injuring three others before police shot and detained him.
The attack took place on Friday afternoon at the Brinell high school in Fagersta, a town in central Sweden. Police said they received a call reporting ongoing deadly violence at the school just after 2 p.m. local time.
Local police chief Tommy Alriksson said officers responded quickly. “The first patrol entered and let us know that the perpetrator was subdued with gunfire,” he told a press conference. The suspect was taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
The school had just reopened after the summer recess, and for some students it was their first day. It has about 450 students aged 16 to 20.
Accounts of the injured differ
Jonas Cederberg, director of health and medical services for the Vastmanland county authority, said two seriously injured boys aged 12 and 17 were taken to hospital, followed by a third person, according to Al Jazeera. Reuters copy carried by Ada Derana described the two severely injured victims only as teenage boys, and said a third injured person had been released from hospital. The 12-year-old’s presence at a school for 16- to 20-year-olds has not been explained by either report.
The outlets also give different figures for the size of the town — about 12,000 residents in Al Jazeera’s account, about 13,000 in Ada Derana’s.
Motive not established
There was no immediate word on a motive. Public broadcaster SVT, citing unnamed sources, reported that the attacker wore a helmet, carried a sword and was a former student at the school with a previous conviction for assault.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called it a serious incident occurring “right after the summer break.” He said in a statement on X: “We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively. Our thoughts are with all those affected.” Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said the government was following the situation closely.
Police spokesman Pelle Vamstad, quoted by the TT news agency, said detectives would seek camera footage for the preliminary investigation.
One student, Nellie, told Reuters after a five-hour lockdown at the school: “First it was just a regular day really. But then … I saw a guy all covered in blood, at least down his back anyway. Then I saw the police and they flooded in.”
