One killed in sword attack at Swedish school – BBC News
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One killed in sword attack at Swedish school
Image source: EPA
Image caption: Police and emergency services are on the scene
By Jamie Whitehead
Published 21 August 2026, 15:32 BST
Updated 4 minutes ago
One person has been killed in a sword attack at a high school in Sweden, authorities have said.
Police were called to the Brinell School in Fagersta shortly after 14:00 local time (13:00 BST) on Friday, where officers arrested an 18-year-old man. In an update on Friday, police said officers fired at the suspect before arresting and detaining him.
Two other people were injured in the attack, one seriously, with Swedish public broadcast SVT saying the other person has "light" injuries.
Eight other schools in the area were placed under lockdown measures – which have now been lifted – while a state of high alert was declared in the Vastmanland region following the attack.
Police have said there is currently no danger to the public.
In a post on X, Sweden’s Prime Minsiter Ulf Kristersson described the attack as a "serious incident," and said "we do not know what lies behind the act, but we know that police are working very intensively".
Students at Brinell School had only just returned to the classroom following the summer break, with the new term beginning either on Monday or Wednesday this week, depending on the academic year.
The school has just under 500 students on its roster, according to SVT, and is located 170km (105 miles) north-west of the capital, Stockholm.
Sweden has experienced a number of attacks on educational institutions in recent years.
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