Several people were injured on Friday when a person armed with a sword attacked a school in Fagersta municipality in central Sweden. Police intervened at the school and a suspect has been stopped.
DR reports that several people were wounded by a person carrying a sword at a school in Fagersta. The municipality announced the incident on its own website. According to DR, the school has said the attacker was detained by police, as reported by Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
Dagens Nyheter identifies the school as Brinellskolan, a secondary school in the town. Police received the alarm at 14:06 local time, according to police spokesperson Pelle Vamstad, cited by the paper. A large police operation was under way at the site.
Dagens Nyheter adds that several schools in the municipality were placed in lockdown, described in Swedish as “inrymda”. Local outlet Fagersta Nyheter reports that Risbroskolan was among them, and that a helicopter took part in the operation.
Aftonbladet reports, citing police and municipal sources, that at least two people were injured. The same outlet says a person armed with a machete was shot by police at or near the school. Aftonbladet also reports that the police special intervention unit was involved.
Conflicting early accounts
Accounts of the weapon differ. Fagersta municipality and DR describe a sword, while Aftonbladet and Fagersta Nyheter refer to a machete. The discrepancy has not been resolved in the coverage available so far.
The status of the attacker is also described differently. DR and SVT, citing the school and the municipality, say the person was taken into custody. Aftonbladet and Fagersta Nyheter report that the attacker was shot by police.
The number and condition of the victims remain unconfirmed. The municipality and DR state only that several people were injured, while Aftonbladet specifies at least two. No official or medical source has confirmed an exact figure or the severity of the injuries.
Police have said there is no indication of a broader danger to the public beyond the immediate area, according to Aftonbladet. The force is still building a picture of what happened. Göteborgs-Posten reports that police declined to give further details while the operation was ongoing.
The Swedish news agency TT, in copy carried by VG, reports that the municipality stated a person entered a school with a sword and injured several individuals. The municipality confirmed that police were on site and that emergency services were handling the situation.
Neither the police nor Fagersta municipality has given any information about a motive. Coverage from DN, SVT, Aftonbladet and the municipality has so far focused on the emergency response at the school.
