An 18-year-old student has been charged with murder following a sword attack at Brinell School in Fagersta, Sweden, which resulted in the death of a 17-year-old girl and injuries to three other students. The suspect, identified as Liam Nebel, was charged on Sunday afternoon, two days after the incident occurred on Friday.
The attack took place in the town of Fagersta, located approximately 100 miles northwest of Stockholm. Nebel, who was a student at the school, possessed an access card to enter the premises, according to the headmaster. Local media reported that Nebel was allegedly dressed in a manner similar to Anton Lundin Pettersson, the perpetrator of a 2015 sword attack in Trollhättan that killed a student and a teacher.
Authorities have stated that the motive for the attack remains unknown, and there is currently no indication that others were involved. Two teenage boys sustained severe injuries in the attack, while a third student has since been released from the hospital. The victim who died was a 17-year-old girl.
Police are investigating a photograph of a sword that was posted on a TikTok account about 20 minutes prior to the attack. Reports suggest the image may have been taken in the school's bathrooms. The TikTok account in question had previously featured videos paying tribute to mass murderers.
"The investigators are looking into various online communities which might have egged on the suspect to carry out the attack," a police source told Reuters. The school had recently reopened after holidays, and for some students, the attack occurred on their first day back.
Police responded to the incident within 10 minutes of the alarm being raised. Officers entered the school and fired at the suspect, but missed. Nebel was apprehended and detained at the scene.
Witnesses described the chaotic scene. One student, Nellie, recounted seeing a person covered in blood, followed by the rapid arrival of police. Another student, Abdulrahem Salmo, who was in his first week at the school, described witnessing the attacker stab a friend in the arm and urged others to call the police before fleeing.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called the incident a "serious event" and affirmed that police were working intensively to understand the circumstances.