Sword attack at Fagersta school: two teenagers seriously hurt
A man armed with a sword forced his way into a school in Fagersta on Friday afternoon and injured several people. Police shot him in the leg and arrested him at the scene.
The alarm reached police at 14:06 as a report of ongoing lethal violence, the most serious category of emergency call. The attacker entered Brinellskolan, an upper secondary school with just under 500 pupils. Region Vastmanland has confirmed that at least two people were seriously hurt, both boys under 18, and describes their injuries as severe but stable. At least one further person was taken to hospital with injuries not yet assessed. The suspect is reported to be an 18-year-old man who had previously been a pupil at the school.
Eight schools in Fagersta were placed under lockdown while the operation continued, with pupils kept inside. Police, a national response unit and a helicopter were deployed to secure the buildings. Pupils at Brinellskolan began to be released after 17:00. Both Region Vastmanland and Fagersta municipality moved to emergency command status, and the municipality opened a crisis centre at Risbrohallen.
Police said during the afternoon that they saw no continuing danger to the public, and asked people to respect the cordons around the school. The investigation continues and no motive has been established.
If you have a child at a school in Fagersta, the crisis centre at Risbrohallen is open and offering support, and the municipality has said it will publish further information directly. Do not travel to the school area while the cordons are in place. Parents found it hard to reach their children during the lockdown because of the school mobile phone rules, so a child being unreachable during the incident does not mean something has happened to them. Check municipal and police channels rather than drawing conclusions from silence.
Anyone affected by what they saw or heard, whether they were present or not, can ask for support at the crisis centre or through their local health centre. Reactions to an event like this often arrive days afterwards, and asking for help early is an ordinary thing to do.