A person armed with a sword entered a high school in Fagersta, central Sweden, on Friday afternoon and wounded several people, the local municipality said, before being detained by police. Fagersta municipality confirmed in a statement that an assailant had entered Brinellskolan, a gymnasium (upper secondary school) with just under 500 students, and wounded several people inside.
What the authorities have confirmed
Swedish police said they received a call shortly after 2pm local time reporting suspected ongoing deadly violence at the school. Officers were dispatched with all available resources, and one person, a man, was taken into custody. Police spokesperson Pelle Vamstad said he could not comment further on the identity of the man in custody, nor confirm details of the weapon or injuries.
BREAKING: Several people were injured at a Swedish school by a person armed with a sword, the Fagersta municipality in central Sweden said in a statement https://t.co/TFokrEaK9h pic.twitter.com/LQju49ZPHP
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 21, 2026
Local newspaper Aftonbladet reported, citing its own sources, that the suspect was carrying a machete and was shot in the leg by police during the arrest. This detail has not been confirmed by police or the municipality, and Politis to the Point presents it as reported by Aftonbladet rather than as an established fact.
Emergency response and lockdown
Eight schools in Fagersta, including Brinellskolan, were placed under lockdown as a precaution following the incident, according to the municipality. Pupils at Brinellskolan remained inside the building for several hours while police searched the premises. Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported a large-scale emergency response at the scene, including ambulances, police vehicles and a police helicopter. The municipality later opened a crisis centre at Risbrohallen for pupils, parents and others affected by the incident.
Polisens insatsstyrka rycker ut till en skola i Fagersta efter larm om en beväpnad person. En person med svärd ska ha tagit sig in på Brinellskolan och skadat flera med ett svärd, enligt Fagersta kommun. https://t.co/01cQr7kWBu pic.twitter.com/S6f5ki8rZc
— Bulletin (@Bulletin_Nu) August 21, 2026
The exact number of people injured, and the severity of their injuries, has not been officially released. The motive for the attack and the identity of the suspect also remain unknown.
Government response
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the government had been informed of a "serious incident" in Fagersta and that police were "working very intensively" at the scene. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said there was as yet no public picture of what lay behind the attack, and urged against speculation about motive.
Sweden has experienced several serious incidents of violence at schools in recent years. In February 2025, a gunman killed 10 people at an adult education centre in Örebro, the country's deadliest mass shooting. In March 2022, a student killed two teachers with a knife at a school in Malmö, and in October 2015, an attacker armed with a sword killed three people in a racially motivated assault at a school in Trollhättan before being shot dead by police.
Source: Fagersta municipality, Swedish police, Reuters, Euronews, CNN, SVT, Sveriges Radio
