One person has died and two others were seriously injured in the sword attack at Brinellskolan in Fagersta, central Sweden, on Friday 21 August. Police have detained an 18-year-old man suspected of entering the high school armed with a sword shortly after 14:00. The motive remains unknown, while investigators are interviewing a large number of witnesses and examining several locations connected to the suspect.
The death was confirmed during a press conference held by police and Fagersta Municipality on Friday evening, changing the initial picture of the attack, when authorities had reported several injured people but no fatalities. According to SVT, the person who died was later identified by her family as a 17-year-old girl. Three boys were also injured, two of them seriously.
A 17-year-old girl was killed in the Fagersta school attack
Police were alerted at 14:06 on Friday to what was classified as an incident of ongoing deadly violence at Brinellskolan, an upper secondary school in Fagersta.
Students who had already managed to leave the building told emergency services that people had been injured. Police then entered the school to secure the premises and prevent further violence. During the search, officers found the person who had died, Tommy Alriksson, local police area chief, said at Friday evening’s press conference. SVT reconstructed the sequence of events.
According to Region Västmanland, two boys under the age of 18 were seriously injured. A third boy suffered lighter injuries. The exact circumstances in which each victim was attacked have not yet been made public.
The school and several other schools and preschools in Fagersta were placed in lockdown during the police operation. Students were allowed to leave shortly before 18:00, after police had secured the area. Both the municipality and the region activated their emergency management structures, while a crisis centre was opened for students, relatives and others needing support.
Police arrested an 18-year-old former student
The suspected attacker is an 18-year-old man who, according to information obtained by SVT, previously attended Brinellskolan. Police confirmed that shots were fired during his arrest. Swedish media have reported that he was shot in the leg, although police have not detailed the circumstances of the shooting.
Police said at the evening press conference that the suspect was being held in custody and was not receiving hospital treatment. Investigators have linked him to two addresses in Fagersta, where searches were carried out after the attack.
Authorities currently have no reason to believe that more than one attacker was involved.
Police have opened a special operation for the investigation and are expected to question a large number of witnesses. Alriksson said investigators were deliberately limiting the amount of information released in order not to influence future testimony.
Investigators are examining the possible motive
No motive has yet been formally established. Police are continuing to examine the suspect’s background and online activity.
According to SVT, investigators are looking into a TikTok account that posted an image of a sword-like object at 13:41, around 25 minutes before police received the first emergency call. The same account had previously shared material that could be interpreted as glorifying violent attacks, according to the broadcaster. It has not yet been publicly established who controlled the account.
SVT has also reported, citing its own sources, that investigators are examining indications that the suspect may have drawn inspiration from the 2015 school attack in Trollhättan, in which three people were killed before the attacker was shot dead by police. These details have not yet been confirmed publicly by investigators, and police have continued to say that the motive remains under investigation.
Sweden’s political leaders reacted to the killing
King Carl XVI Gustaf said he had received the news that Sweden had again been affected by a school attack “with dismay and sadness” and expressed his thoughts for those most directly affected and their relatives.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the immediate priority was supporting those affected while allowing police to establish what happened and why.
Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer said determining the motive would be important both for the victims and for understanding whether broader conclusions should be drawn from the attack.
Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson also expressed solidarity with the victims and with Fagersta, saying violence inside a school affects people across Sweden.
The investigation continued on Saturday, with police describing the work as being in an intensive phase. Officers remained visible in Fagersta both to gather evidence and to provide reassurance to residents. The municipality has established a memorial site and continues to provide crisis support to students, families and school staff.
