Man armed with sword injures several at Swedish high school

A man armed with a sword injured several people at a Swedish high school on Friday and one person was later detained, local authorities said,…

A man armed with a sword injured several people at a Swedish high school on Friday and one person was later detained, local authorities said, triggering a massive response from emergency services.

The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at the ‌Brinell high school, which has some 450 students aged 16 to 20, in the town of Fagersta in central Sweden.

“We received an alarm at 2.06pm about suspected deadly violence and sent all available resources to the school,” a police spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said one person at the scene was later taken into custody and that there was no longer any danger to the public.

Several other schools and public ⁠buildings in Fagersta were also ⁠placed in lockdown after the sword attack took place. The Vastmanland county authority said it had adopted high alert status.

Police officer secures the site where several people were injured at a Swedish high school in Fagersta, central Sweden on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Police officer secures the site where several people were injured at a Swedish high school in Fagersta, central Sweden on Friday. Photo: Reuters

“We are moving into high alert status ‌to marshal our resources and gain the clearest possible picture of the situation. That will give us the best basis for making the right decisions,” Jonas Cederberg, director of ‌health and ‌medical services, said in a statement.