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Sword attack in Fagersta
An 18-year-old man carried out a sword attack at the Brinell School in Fagersta, northwest of Stockholm, on Friday while classes were in session, killing one person and injuring three others, two of them severely.
“An 18-year-old man armed with a sword carried out the attack at the Brinell School in Fagersta”
Police said the suspect was arrested and that the case was being investigated as murder and attempted murder, with police also saying they had no reason to believe there were more perpetrators.
Västmanland County said the two seriously injured boys were ages 12 and 17, and Swedish news agency TT reported that a third person under 18 was slightly injured and had been discharged from a hospital.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited the memorial site prepared by the municipality and lamented the violence in Fagersta “right after the summer break,” while investigators carried out two house searches in connection with the suspect.
Investigation and political pause
Swedish police are investigating whether an 18-year-old man who attacked students with a sword in Fagersta was involved in online communities promoting school violence, and Reuters reported that police were probing a TikTok account that posted a picture of a sword 20 minutes before the assault.
Reuters also said the account contained videos referencing two episodes of mass violence in Sweden and Norwegian far-right mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, and that one video referenced a 2015 attack in Trollhattan where a masked swordsman killed a teaching assistant and two boys before being shot dead by police.
As political leaders paused campaigning ahead of the September 13 election, Reuters reported that Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and opposition leader Magdalena Andersson travelled to Fagersta to offer condolences and visit the injured.
Kristersson told reporters in Fagersta, “What should never happen has happened again,” while Reuters quoted Prosecutor Ann-Sofie Trossing saying, “The investigation is at an intense stage.”
Aftermath and what’s at risk
In the immediate aftermath, police said officers fired shots during the arrest and that the dead person was found as police entered the school to secure the premises, while the suspect was being held in custody and not treated in a hospital.
“Several nearby schools had been locked down following the incident, and roadblocks were set up”
Local response included a crisis center in a sports hall near the school, and the Vastmanland County government said “many people” were affected and that police, fire services, and healthcare workers were among those caring for them.
Swedish authorities also placed eight other schools in the area under lockdown measures, which were later lifted, as police established roadblocks and cordoned off a wide area around the Brinell School.
The investigation’s next steps, as described by Reuters, include interrogations and gathering information, with Prosecutor Ann-Sofie Trossing saying she could not go into specifics while the case remained under intense scrutiny.