In breaking news, a man with a large knife or sword attacked several people Thursday at a school in southern Sweden. The attack killed one teacher, and two students and another teacher were injured before the man was shot by police.
Hundreds of students at the Kronan school in Trollhattan, near Goteborg, Sweden fled the building after the attack began. Local law enforcement authorities released a statement saying the attack occurred in the school’s cafe.
When police arrived at the Kronan school one male teacher had already been killed and two students and another teacher were wounded, according to police spokesman Thomas Fuxborg.
More on Kronan school sword attack in Sweden
Local police noted the attacker apparently had both a large knife and a sword. It was clear the attacker had killed the teacher “because of the wounds he had,” the police spokesperson noted.
The police fired two shots when the attacker moved toward them, one of which hit the attacker, who was seriously injured.
Police have not yet been able to determine a motive for the fatal attack.
Other authorities in Trollhattan noted that two students, ages 11 and 15, were also seriously wounded in the attack, with major cuts and significant blood loss. The attacker was also listed in serious condition. Although there is no official word, the condition of the wounded male teacher also appears serious.
Of note, the Kronan school has close to 400 students enrolled, including pre-school all the way to high school. At this point authorities are uncertain if the sword-wielding attacker had any connection with the school or not.
In a painfully ironic note, Swedish media sources are reporting the Kronan school held a meeting earlier Thursday morning to discuss worries that the school was too open, with a cafe for adults in meaning the administration could not control who comes into the building. Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter newspaper pointed out that students must pass through the cafe to enter the cafeteria as well as other parts of the school.
Not surprisingly, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has cancelled his plans for Thursday and is heading to Trollhattan to assess the situation.
Statement from student who witnessed Kronan School attack
“When we first saw him we thought it was a joke. He had a mask and black clothes and a long sword. There were students who wanted to go with him and hold the sword,” an unidentified student at the school told Swedish media.
Statement from local hospital
The hospital in Trollhatten released a statement noting: “We have four seriously injured patients. All are in surgery right now. One is a teacher and two are students. One is 11 and one 15 years old. They have knife wounds. One of the injured is the suspected culprit. He is being operated on for gunshot wounds. A teacher died at the scene.”
The police report highlighted that the Kronan School has students ranging from between the ages of around six and 15.
Trollhattan is a community of just under 50,000 close to 45 miles miles north of Goteborg, the second-largest city in the country.
