Teacher killed, 2 students hurt in sword attack on Swedish school

Pupils seriously wounded; masked assailant also in serious condition after being shot by police

Emergency services attend the scene after a masked man attacked people with a sword, at the Kronan school in Trollhattan, near Goteborg in western Sweden, Thursday Oct. 22, 2015. (Stig Hedström/TT via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene after a masked man attacked people with a sword, at the Kronan school in Trollhattan, near Goteborg in western Sweden, Thursday Oct. 22, 2015. (Stig Hedström/TT via AP)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A masked man armed with a sword attacked a school in southern Sweden on Thursday before being shot by police. Health authorities said one teacher was killed and two students seriously wounded in the attack.

Students fled Thursday morning from the Kronan school in Trollhattan, near Goteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city. In a statement, police in Trollhattan said the attack took place in the school’s cafe area.

Health authorities in Trollhattan said in a statement that one teacher died after being wounded in the attack and two students, aged 11 and 15, were seriously wounded with cuts. They said the attacker was also in serious condition.

Police earlier said four students had been wounded. It was not possible to immediately rectify the differing accounts.

The school has 400 students, ranging from pre-school to high school.

Swedish media say the school held a meeting Thursday morning to discuss teachers’ worries that the school was too open, with a cafe for adults that meant the school could not control who comes in.

The Dagens Nyheter newspaper said students must go through the cafe to reach the school’s own cafeteria and other parts of the building.

AFP contributed to this report.

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