1 dead in sword attack at school in central Sweden

One person died and two were seriously injured when a person armed with a sword entered a school in central Sweden and carried out an attack, reported public broadcaster SVT.

Police and emergency services were called to Brinell School in the town of Fagersta at 2.06 pm local time (1206GMT), according to the Fagersta Municipality.

The condition of the seriously injured, two boys under the age of 18, was described as serious but stable. Another person suffered minor injuries.

A man arrested over the incident is 18 years old and can be linked to two addresses in Fagersta, and is a former student of the school, STV reported.

Several schools and facilities in Fagersta were placed under lockdown following the incident, including Olympen, Fagerstahallen, Risbroskolan, Skogsglantan, Bjorksta, Prastkragen, and Norrbybacken.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said the government is closely following the situation.

“We have been informed of a serious incident in Fagersta. The police are on site and are working very intensively on the incident. The government is in close contact with the police and is monitoring developments on an ongoing basis,” he said.