17-Year-Old Girl Killed in Sword Attack at Swedish High School

A 17-year-old girl has been killed in a sword attack at a high school in central Sweden, police have confirmed.

Two boys, aged 12 and 17, were also seriously injured in the attack at Brinell School in Fagersta on Friday afternoon, according to local authorities. Another person sustained minor injuries.

Police arrested an 18-year-old man at the scene and are treating the incident as a case of murder and attempted murder. The identity of the suspect has not been released.

The attack occurred shortly after students returned to school following the summer holiday, sending the school and the wider community into shock.

Police officers who responded to the incident fired shots, although authorities have not disclosed whether the suspect was struck before he was arrested. Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported that the suspect was wearing a helmet, while local media said he was a former student of the school.

Investigators have conducted two searches of properties linked to the suspect as part of efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack and determine a possible motive.

The regional authorities declared a state of emergency on Friday following the incident, although the measure was lifted on Saturday.

The school, which has just under 500 students, is located in Fagersta, approximately 170 kilometres (105 miles) north-west of Stockholm.

On Saturday morning, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and opposition leader Magdalena Andersson visited the school, where students, staff and members of the public had placed flowers in tribute to the victims.

Kristersson had earlier described the incident as a “serious incident”, saying authorities did not yet know what had motivated the attack but that police were working intensively to establish the circumstances.

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf also expressed his sorrow over the incident, saying he had received the news “with dismay and sadness”.

The investigation remains ongoing as police work to establish the motive for the attack and determine the full circumstances surrounding the deaths and injuries.