FAGERSTA, Sweden: One person has been killed and three others injured in a sword attack at a high school in central Sweden, Swedish authorities say.
Police were called to Brinell School in Fagersta shortly after 14:00 local time on Friday, where officers arrested an 18-year-old man.
Police said officers fired at the suspect before arresting and detaining him. He has not been named.
Two teenage boys were seriously injured in the attack, while another person suffered minor injuries.
Schools Placed Under Lockdown
Eight other schools in the area were placed under lockdown following the attack, but the measures have since been lifted.
A state of high alert was also declared in the Västmanland region.
Police said they were investigating the possible motive and that there was currently no threat to the wider public.
Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT reported that the suspect was wearing a helmet. Local media said he was a former student at the school.
The school has just under 500 students and is about 170km (105 miles) north-west of Stockholm.
Swedish Leaders React
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the attack as a “serious incident”.
“We do not know what lies behind the act, but we know that police are working very intensively,” he said in a post on X.
King Carl XVI Gustaf said he had received the news “with dismay and sadness”.
“My thoughts are with those directly affected, as well as their families and loved ones,” he said.
Students at Brinell School had only recently returned following the summer break, with the new term beginning earlier this week.
Previous Attacks
Sweden has experienced several serious attacks at educational institutions in recent years.
In 2025, the country suffered its worst mass shooting, when 11 people, including the gunman, were killed at an adult education centre in Örebro.
The attack prompted the government to tighten gun laws after it emerged that the suspect legally owned four rifles.
In 2022, two teachers were killed in an attack at a secondary school in Malmö. An 18-year-old student later confessed to the killings.
In 2015, a teacher and a pupil were killed in a sword attack at a school in Trollhättan.
