In brief
Police confirmed a 17‑year‑old girl was the sole fatality in a sword assault at Brinell School in Fagersta. Two pupils were seriously injured and a third suffered minor wounds. An 18‑year‑old suspect has been arrested and the case is being treated as murder and attempted murder. The region went into a state of emergency, which ended the next day. The attack prompted visits from the prime minister and the king.
In the afternoon of Friday, Fagersta’s Brinell School became the scene of a deadly sword assault. Police confirmed the only fatality was a 17‑year‑old student.
Two other pupils—a 12‑year‑old and a 17‑year‑old—were seriously injured, while a third person sustained only minor wounds.
An 18‑year‑old man, who has not been named, has been arrested. The police treat the incident as murder and attempted murder, and have said shots were fired at the scene, although it remains unclear whether the suspect was hit before being detained.
The region was declared under emergency status on Friday but lifted on Saturday. The school hosts just under 500 students and lies 170km (105 miles) northwest of Stockholm.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and opposition leader Magdalena Andersson paid a visit to the makeshift memorial, laying flowers for the victims. King Carl XVI Gustaf also sent his sorrow and dismay.
Investigators have conducted two house searches connected to the suspect, who was described by local media as a former student wearing a helmet during the attack.
