One dead after teenager carries out sword attack at Swedish school, police say

One person has died after an 18-year-old man armed with a sword carried out an attack at a school in Sweden, police have said.

Two boys, reportedly aged between 12 and 17, were seriously injured in the incident in Fagersta, a town northwest of the capital Stockholm.

The attack took place on Friday at Brinell high school while classes were happening, with about 400-500 students in lessons.

The school had just reopened after the summer break, and for some students it was their first day.

Officers were called to the scene around 2pm local time.

The suspect, who was shot by police, has been arrested and is being held in custody, authorities said.

Public broadcaster SVT, citing unnamed sources, reported he was a former student at the school, who had a previous conviction for assault. It said he was wearing a helmet and carrying a sword.

A police spokesperson said: "We received an alarm at 2.06pm (1.06pm UK time) about suspected deadly violence and sent all available resources to the school."

The spokesperson said ‌there was no longer any danger to the public.

A student at the school said he had seen a victim with a stab wound in the arm, saying: "Then people called the ‌police and we just all ran from there because we were afraid."

Several other schools and ‌public buildings in Fagersta were also placed in lockdown after the sword attack took place.

The TT news agency said the two seriously injured boys were aged between 12 and 17.

Pelle Vamstad, a police spokesman, told the agency that authorities would be looking into whether camera footage could be used in the preliminary investigation.

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Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, in an online post, said a "serious incident" happened in Fagersta "right after the summer break".

"There are reports of injured people. We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively," he added. "Our thoughts are with all those affected."

The attack comes a year after a school shooting in Orebro, also in central Sweden, when a gunman killed 10 ⁠people before turning the weapon on himself, in the worst mass shooting in Swedish history.

(c) Sky News 2026: One dead after teenager carries out sword attack at Swedish school, police say