One person died while four other people were wounded when a masked man, who was wielding a sword, launched an attack on a school in western Sweden, authorities revealed Thursday.
"Four persons have been taken to the hospital from the school," said Niklas Claesson, head of communications at NAL hospital in the town of Trollhattan, according to Reuters.
"The assailant is being treated for gunshot wounds. The other people treated at the hospital are young but not kids. Some of them have serious injuries and are being operated on. One person is deceased at the scene."
Students fled the Kronan school in Trollhattan, which is located near Goteborg, the second-largest Swedish city, after the attack. Authorities said in a statement that the attack happened in the school's café area, according to the Associated Press.
The suspect entered the school at around 10 a.m. local time and started attacking the students and teachers with a large knife or a sword.
Police arrived at the scene and were forced to shoot the suspect, who is in his 20s. A representative for the Swedish police said at a press conference later on in the afternoon that the attack was "one of the most serious in Swedish history," the Daily Mail reported.
It is unclear as to what motivated the suspect to commit the attack. No other details have been made available as of this time.
