An attacker with a sword wounds several people at a school in Sweden

BERLIN — An attacker with a sword wounded several people Friday at a school in central Sweden, and police later arrested a suspect, officials said.

The attack took place at the Brinell School in the city of Fagersta, northwest of the capital, Stockholm, the city government said.

Police spokesperson Pelle Vamstad, quoted by the TT news agency, said an alarm was received in the early afternoon Friday and that police rushed to the scene. He said officers would check what camera footage might be available for the investigation.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, in a post on the X social media platform, lamented a “serious incident” in Fagersta “right after the summer break.”

“There are reports of injured people. We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively,” he added. “Our thoughts are with all those affected.”

The Fagersta city government said it set up a crisis center in a sports hall near the school.

The government of Vastmanland county, in which Fagersta is located, said “many people” were affected and that police, fire services, and healthcare workers were among those caring for them.

Several nearby schools were locked down following the incident, and roadblocks were set up, authorities said.