A 17-year-old girl was killed and three others were wounded after an 18-year-old man armed with a sword attacked a school in central Sweden on Friday while classes were in session. Police identified the victim and confirmed the suspect had been arrested.
The attack took place at the Brinell School in Fagersta, a town northwest of Stockholm. According to ABC News, two of the wounded were boys aged 12 and 17, both seriously injured. A third person, also under 18, was slightly injured and had been discharged from a hospital by Saturday.
Swedish police said the case was being investigated as murder and attempted murder. Investigators have already conducted two house searches in connection with the suspect, and a large number of witnesses were expected to be interviewed. Reuters reported that police were also probing online networks as part of the investigation into a possible motive. Police said they had no reason to believe there were additional perpetrators.
On Saturday morning, around 70 people gathered at a memorial site prepared by the municipality, carrying flowers and lighting candles.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson posted about the attack on X, expressing concern about violence occurring in Fagersta "right after the summer break." "We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively," he said. "Our thoughts are with all those affected."
Sweden has seen several violent school attacks in recent years. Last year, 11 people, including the gunman, died in an attack at an education center in Örebro, considered the worst mass shooting in the country's history. In 2022, an 18-year-old man attacked two female teachers with a knife and an ax at a school in Malmo, killing them. In 2015, a 21-year-old man attacked a school in Trollhattan, stabbing three people to death before being shot and killed by police. Authorities called that attack a racist hate crime, saying the attacker methodically selected dark-skinned victims.
No official information on the Fagersta suspect's motive had been released as of Saturday.
