An 18-year-old man armed with a sword attacked a school in central Sweden on Friday, killing one person and seriously injuring at least two others as hundreds of students were attending classes, authorities said.
The attack unfolded at the Brinell School in Fagersta, a town northwest of Stockholm, according to officials. Police Chief Tommy Alriksson said during a news conference that authorities arrested the suspect following the deadly attack.
Police confirmed that shots were fired while officers were taking the 18-year-old into custody. Authorities did not immediately say whether the suspect was wounded during the arrest, but officials confirmed he was being held in custody rather than receiving treatment at a hospital.
Approximately 400 to 500 students were at the school when the attack occurred, officials said.
Authorities have not identified a possible motive behind the violence and said investigators currently have no indication that anyone else was involved.
“We have no reason at this time to believe that there are multiple perpetrators,” Alriksson said, noting that the investigation remains underway.
Sweden’s national police said investigators had already conducted two house searches connected to the suspect as authorities worked to determine what led to the attack.
Police also expect to interview a large number of witnesses. Alriksson said authorities were limiting the information they released publicly because they did not want to potentially influence those accounts.
Vastmanland County officials said the two boys who were seriously injured were between the ages of 12 and 17, according to the TT news agency. Officials did not immediately release additional information about the person who was killed.
Police spokesperson Pelle Vamstad said authorities received an alarm about the incident early Friday afternoon, according to TT.
Law enforcement responded by cordoning off a large area surrounding the school. Several nearby schools were also placed on lockdown following the attack, while authorities established roadblocks in the area.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson addressed the violence in a social media post, noting that the attack came “right after the summer break.”
“We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively,” Kristersson said. “Our thoughts are with all those affected.”
Local officials also moved to provide assistance to those impacted by the attack.
The Fagersta city government established a crisis center inside a sports hall located near the school.
The Vastmanland County government said “many people” had been affected by Friday’s violence and that emergency personnel were providing assistance.
Police officers, firefighters and healthcare workers were among those helping care for people affected by the deadly school attack as investigators continued working to establish the circumstances surrounding the violence.
