Kathmandu— A 17-year-old girl was killed and two others seriously injured in a sword attack at Brinell School in Fagersta, Sweden on Friday afternoon. The 18-year-old suspect, also a student at the school, was arrested at the scene. Authorities are investigating potential links between the attacker and online communities promoting school violence, while the nation mourns the loss and pauses political campaigning.

Details of the Attack

Swedish police confirmed on Saturday that the victim killed in the attack was a 17-year-old girl, with her family having been informed. Two boys, aged 12 and 17, sustained serious injuries, one requiring emergency surgery, while a third individual received treatment for minor wounds and has since returned home. The incident occurred shortly after classes resumed following the summer break.

Investigation into Suspect's Motives

Investigators are focusing on whether the suspect had connections to online communities that may have encouraged the attack. A police source told Reuters that authorities are examining a TikTok account, which was taken down hours after the incident, that posted an image of a sword 20 minutes before the attack and previously featured content referencing past school attacks in Sweden and Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway mass shooting. Prosecutors have ordered the suspect held on suspicion of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder.

National Mourning and Political Response

The scene outside Brinell School has become a memorial site with candles and flowers as tributes pour in. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and opposition leader Magdalena Andersson traveled to Fagersta to pay their respects. In response to the tragedy, political parties across Sweden have suspended campaigning ahead of September’s election. The attack is being viewed within a pattern of violence; last year saw Sweden's deadliest school shooting in Orebro, claiming ten lives, and a 2015 sword attack in Trollhattan resulted in three deaths in what authorities determined was a racially motivated hate crime.

Police have conducted approximately 80 interviews so far and plan to question nearly all of the school’s roughly 450 students and staff as part of their investigation.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.