Sword-wielding attacker wounds several at Swedish high school
Fagersta municipality said an attacker armed with a sword entered Brinellskolan and wounded several people before being detained by police. Local media reported that the attacker was armed with a machete and was shot by police
Published on 21/08/2026 - 15:42 GMT+2•Updated 15:51
A sword-wielding attacker wounded several people at a high school in central Sweden on Friday, authorities said, while media reports indicated that police had shot the suspect.
"An assailant armed with a sword has entered Brinellskolan and wounded several people," the Fagersta municipality said in a statement, adding the assailant had been detained by police.
"Police are continuing to work at the scene with a number of different resources. The public is urged to respect the roadblocks and listen to police instructions."
Local newspaper Aftonbladet reported that a person wielding a machete had been shot in the leg by police.
The local authorities did not provide details about how many people had been injured. However, they confirmed that police officers were carrying out checks inside the school, while several other schools nearby had been placed under lockdown as a precaution.
According to Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT, a significant emergency response was visible outside the school, including ambulances, police vehicles and a police helicopter. The incident occurred in a relatively small town with a population of approximately 12,000.
Sweden has experienced several serious acts of violence involving schools and other educational facilities in recent years.
One of the most serious incidents took place in February 2025, when a 35-year-old man shot and killed 10 people at an adult education centre in Örebro. The attack was considered Sweden’s deadliest mass shooting. Investigators said the perpetrator appeared to have been motivated by severe financial and psychological difficulties and a desire to take his own life.
Earlier, in March 2022, an 18-year-old student attacked a secondary school in Malmö, killing two teachers with a knife.
Another deadly attack occurred in October 2015 in Trollhättan, where three people died in a racially motivated assault at a school. The attacker, who was carrying a sword, was subsequently shot and killed by police.
