Sword-wielding attacker injures several at Swedish high school, suspect detained

A person carrying a sword entered Brinellskolan, a high school in the central Swedish town of Fagersta, and injured several individuals, authorities said. Police arrived after an alarm was raised early Friday afternoon and detained the suspect at the scene. The school, which serves about 450 students aged 16 to 20, was placed on lockdown while police searched the premises and secured the area with roadblocks and a helicopter.

"Police are continuing to work at the scene with a number of different resources," a police statement read, urging the public to follow instructions.

Police spokesman Pelle Vamstad told media that investigators would review camera footage as part of the preliminary inquiry. The Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, described the event as a serious incident and said the motive was not yet known. Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said the government was closely monitoring the situation and in contact with police.

Local authorities did not disclose the exact number of injured persons. Reports from a Swedish newspaper suggested a person wielding a machete was shot in the leg by police, but this could not be independently verified. The incident follows previous attacks on Swedish schools, including a 2015 sword attack in Trollhättan and a 2022 stabbing in Malmö.