Fagersta: An 18-year-old man who allegedly attacked students with a sword at a high school in the central Swedish town of Fagersta is being investigated over possible links to online communities promoting school violence.
The attack on Friday, August 21, left a 17-year-old girl dead and two teenage boys seriously injured. Police arrested the suspect following the incident.
Police probe possible online links
According to a police source cited by Reuters, investigators are examining whether the suspect was involved in online communities that promote violence at schools.
Police are also investigating whether a TikTok account that posted a photograph of a sword around 20 minutes before the attack belonged to the suspect. According to reports, the photograph appeared to have been taken inside a school restroom.
The month-old account was reportedly removed after the attack. Before it was taken down, it allegedly contained videos referring to two previous mass-violence incidents in Sweden and Norwegian far-right mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik.
One video reportedly referred to a 2015 attack at a school in Trollhättan, where a masked attacker killed a teaching assistant and two students.
Election campaign disrupted
The attack also affected Sweden’s political campaign ahead of the September 13 election.
Several party leaders cancelled planned speeches on Saturday as campaigning was temporarily paused following the incident.
Police also clarified on Saturday that the suspect had not been shot, correcting information they had provided on Friday.
The investigation into the attack and the suspect’s possible online activities remains ongoing.