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Sword attack at Brinell
A man armed with a sword severely injured two teenage boys and a third person at Brinell high school in Fagersta, Sweden, on Friday afternoon, and police later detained one person.
“two people had arrived for treatment and were "seriously injured"”
Reuters reported that police received an alarm at 1406 (1206 GMT) about suspected deadly violence and sent all available resources to the school.
Jonas Cederberg, director of health and medical services for the Vastmanland county authority, told Reuters that two people had arrived for treatment and were "seriously injured," while a third person was on the way and the extent of their injuries remained unclear.
The BBC also described the attack as a "serious incident" in Fagersta that happened "right after the summer break," with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson saying police were working very intensively and that there was no longer any danger to the public.
Police response and lockdowns
Police spokesperson Pelle Vamstad, quoted by the TT news agency, said authorities would look into whether camera footage could be used in the preliminary investigation after the alarm was received and officers rushed to Brinell high school.
The Fagersta municipality said an attacker armed with a sword entered Brinellskolan and wounded several people before being detained by police, and it said police were continuing to work at the scene with a number of different resources.
In Vastmanland county, Jonas Cederberg said the authority was moving into high alert status to marshal resources and gain the clearest possible picture of the situation, and the Daily Sabah account said several other schools and public buildings in Fagersta were placed in lockdown.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told AFP in a written statement that “a serious incident has taken place today at a school in Fagersta, just after the summer holidays,” while Magdalena Andersson lamented the “terrible news” and said “All of Sweden stands together with Fagersta at this difficult time.”
Unclear injuries and next steps
While local authorities did not immediately disclose the conditions of those injured, Reuters said two people were seriously injured and a third person was on the way, with the extent of injuries remaining unclear at that stage.
“the extent of their injuries remains unclear at this stage”
The police spokesperson told Reuters that one person at the scene was later taken into custody and that there was no longer any danger to the public, as several other schools and public buildings in Fagersta were at first placed in lockdown.
The Swedish government said it was in close contact with the police following Friday’s attack, and Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said in a statement to Reuters that the police were working intensively on the incident.
The attack also revived comparisons to earlier school violence in Sweden, including a February 2025 school shooting in Orebro in which a gunman killed 10 people before turning the weapon on himself, and a March 2022 stabbing of two teachers at a secondary school in Malmö.