Fagersta school attack leaves several injured as police detain assailant
Local authorities in central Sweden confirmed that an attacker has been taken into custody following a sword attack at Brinellskolan high school, prompting a broader lockdown of nearby schools.
Several people were injured on Friday after an assailant armed with a sword entered Brinellskolan high school in Fagersta, central Sweden. The Fagersta municipality stated that the attacker had been detained by police, although the exact number of wounded has not yet been specified.
Swedish police reported receiving an alarm early in the afternoon regarding "ongoing deadly violence" at the school. Police spokesman Pelle Vamstad, speaking to the TT news agency, confirmed that officers rushed to the scene and are continuing to work with various resources. Authorities are currently investigating whether camera footage can be utilised in the preliminary investigation.
In response to the incident, the municipality stated that police were searching the school and that other local schools had been locked down as a precaution. The public was urged to respect roadblocks and listen to police instructions, with ambulances, police cars, and a police helicopter deployed at the scene in the small city of approximately 12,000 inhabitants.
While official statements described the weapon as a sword, the Aftonbladet newspaper reported that a person wielding a machete had been shot in the leg by police. This detail has not been explicitly confirmed by police in the provided statements.
At the federal level, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer stated that the government was closely monitoring the situation. He noted that the government had been informed of a serious incident and was in close contact with police, monitoring developments on an ongoing basis.
