STOCKHOLM — The victim killed in a sword attack at a school in central Sweden was a 17-year-old girl, police said Saturday, as investigators continued to examine the motive behind the assault.
An 18-year-old man armed with a sword carried out the attack at Brinell School in Fagersta, northwest of Stockholm, while classes were in session Friday. The attack left one person dead and three others injured, including two seriously.
Police arrested the suspect and are investigating the case as murder and attempted murder. Authorities said there was no indication that additional perpetrators were involved.
Officials in Vastmanland County said the two seriously injured victims were boys aged 12 and 17. Another person, also under 18, suffered minor injuries and was discharged from hospital, according to Swedish news agency TT.
The school’s principal told local broadcaster P4 Västmanland that the suspected attacker was a student at the school.
Police said officers fired shots during their response to the attack, but the suspect was not hit.
Around 70 people gathered Saturday morning at a memorial site established by the municipality, laying flowers and lighting candles in memory of the victim.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited Fagersta on Saturday and expressed solidarity with the victims’ families and others affected by school violence.
“What must never happen has happened again,” Kristersson said.
Kristersson was joined by Magdalena Andersson, leader of the opposition Social Democrats. Political parties suspended campaign events on Saturday ahead of Sweden’s parliamentary election in September.
The prime minister also invited party leaders to a meeting to discuss developments in the investigation.
Police have not disclosed a possible motive. Sweden’s national police said investigators had conducted two searches of properties linked to the suspect and were expected to interview numerous witnesses.
The region declared a state of emergency following Friday’s attack, but the measure had been lifted by Saturday.
Sweden has experienced several deadly attacks at educational institutions in recent years.
Last year, 11 people, including the gunman, were killed in an attack at an education center in Örebro, considered the deadliest mass shooting in Sweden’s history.
In 2022, an 18-year-old man killed two female teachers with a knife and an ax at a school in Malmö. In 2015, three people were stabbed to death in an attack at a school in Trollhättan that authorities classified as a racist hate crime.
Source: Saudi Gazette