Several people were injured on Friday afternoon when a man armed with a sword attacked people at Brinellskolan upper secondary school in Fagersta, central Sweden. Police have taken one person into custody.
DR reports that several people were wounded by a person carrying a sword at a school in Fagersta municipality, in central Sweden. The Danish broadcaster is covering the incident in a live blog as details emerge.
The school has been identified as Brinellskolan, a gymnasium in Fagersta, according to Dagens Nyheter. Swedish police received an alarm shortly after 14:06 local time about ongoing deadly violence at the school. Officers and emergency services were sent to the site with extensive resources.
Fagersta municipality stated that an assailant armed with a sword entered Brinellskolan and wounded several people, and that the perpetrator has been detained by police. The municipality’s wording was relayed by Euronews. Euronews also notes local media reports that the attacker carried a machete and was shot by police, which official statements have not confirmed.
Police operation and schools kept indoors
Swedish police, cited by Reuters, say one person has been taken into custody in connection with the attack. Officers continue to work at the scene with a number of different resources. The public has been urged to respect roadblocks and follow police instructions.
The exact number of injured and the severity of their injuries are not yet clear, according to Aftonbladet. The Swedish tabloid adds that one male suspect has been detained. Police sources cited by Aftonbladet say they currently see no indication of danger to the wider public.
Brinellskolan and several other local schools have been kept indoors as part of the police operation, per information from Fagersta municipality relayed by Aftonbladet. The list includes Olympen, Fagerstahallen, Risbroskolan, Skogsgläntan, Björksta, Prästkragen and Norrbybacken. Police have cordoned off the area around the school.
SVT Nyheter Västmanland reports that Brinellskolan has just under 500 students. As of around 15:45 local time, pupils had not yet been allowed to leave the building because of the ongoing police search. The municipality planned a press conference at 17:00 local time to provide further information.
Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer says the government is in close contact with the police following the incident, in a statement to Reuters relayed by The Straits Times. According to Strömmer, authorities are working very intensively with the case in Fagersta. Denmark and Sweden have separately moved to boost security cooperation in recent years.
Police say they are still forming a picture of what happened and continue to search the school buildings.
