Several people injured in sword attack at school in Sweden

Several people have been injured at a school in central Sweden by a person armed ⁠with a sword, authorities have said.

“An assailant armed with a sword has entered Brinellskolan [school] and wounded several people,” the Fagersta municipality said in a statement on Friday, adding the assailant had been detained by police.

Swedish police said in a statement that they received a call “regarding a case of ongoing deadly violence at a school in Fagersta”, confirming that one person had been taken into custody.

“Police are continuing to work ⁠at the ⁠scene with a number of different resources,” the police statement added. “The public is urged ‌to respect the roadblocks and listen to police instructions.”

Police spokesman Pelle Vamstad, quoted by the TT news agency, said an alarm was received early afternoon Friday and police rushed to the scene.

Vamstad said authorities would be looking into whether camera footage might turn up that could be used in the preliminary investigation.

The municipality did not specify the number of wounded but said police were searching the school and that other schools in the area had been locked down.

Aftonbladet newspaper reported that a person wielding a machete had been shot in the leg by police.

Public broadcaster SVT said ambulances, police cars as well as a police helicopter were outside the school in the small city of about 12,000 inhabitants.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said the government was 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.

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