FAGERSTA, Sweden — An assailant armed with a sword attacked several people at Brinellskolan high school on Friday, authorities said. Police shot and detained the suspect.
The Fagersta municipality confirmed in a statement that an attacker "armed with a sword has entered Brinellskolan and wounded several people." Emergency services and law enforcement mobilized to the scene. Police urged the public to respect roadblocks and follow instructions.
Local newspaper Aftonbladet reported the attacker wielded a machete and that police shot the individual in the leg during the confrontation. Authorities did not disclose the total number of injured or the motive behind the attack.
Police officers conducted thorough checks inside the building. Several educational and community centers near the school were placed under precautionary lockdown. Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported a substantial emergency presence, including ambulances, multiple police vehicles and a police helicopter.
Fagersta is a town of approximately 12,000 residents in central Sweden.
The attack follows a series of serious violent incidents at Swedish schools in recent years. In February 2025, a 35-year-old man opened fire at an adult education center in Örebro, killing 10 people in Sweden's deadliest mass shooting. Investigators said he was driven by financial and psychological difficulties and a desire to end his own life.
In March 2022, an 18-year-old student attacked a secondary school in Malmö with a knife, killing two teachers. In October 2015, a racially motivated assault at a school in Trollhättan claimed three lives. The attacker in that incident also carried a sword and was killed by police.
