Danish police watch for copycats after Swedish school sword attack

Sweden’s school sword attack, which killed one person and injured three, has prompted Danish police to monitor the risk of copycat violence, DR reports. The attack in Fagersta has been linked by Swedish media and DR research to extreme online communities where violence and sadism are praised.

Similar communities allegedly played a role in the case of three teenagers who were arrested and charged under terrorism legislation in early August over plans to attack Hadsten School in Denmark.

Danish authorities have for years trained for special operations to respond to threats against schools, according to Louise Dalsgaard, DR News’ legal affairs correspondent. The training has intensified because neighbouring countries Norway and Sweden have experienced such attacks, she said.

Police are monitoring whether Danish users in these online networks begin mentioning and glorifying the attack, Dalsgaard said. Authorities are also watching for people who might be inspired by school attacks.

PET, Denmark’s security service, declined to give an interview but said in a written response earlier this month that the threat picture in the West is increasingly shaped by extreme violent incidents that resemble terrorism, even when the perpetrator has no clear ideological motive.

PET identified schools as potential targets for perpetrators linked to so-called nihilistic violent extremism, or NVE, as well as school attacks and incel culture. It said these communities often overlap, and that perpetrators with unclear ideological links frequently choose targets close to their homes or connected to settings they are part of.

The Swedish attack does not, by itself, mean Denmark will raise its security response, Dalsgaard said. Denmark has maintained a high terrorism threat level for many years, and police districts have specialised response patrols trained physically and mentally to handle armed and dangerous situations around the clock.

Swedish authorities said on Monday that 18-year-old Liam Nebel, who is suspected of carrying out the attack, will be assessed by a doctor to determine whether a comprehensive forensic psychiatric examination is warranted.