Sword Attack in Swedish School Was a Hate Crime, Police Say

The sword attack that killed two people in a school Thursday in Sweden was a racially motivated hate crime, police said today.

A man wearing a Nazi-style helmet, black clothing and wielding a sword stormed a school near Gothenburg, killing one student and one teacher, reported Swedish media yesterday. One other student and teacher were severely wounded and are currently in the hospital. Police arrived on the scene shortly after the attack began and shot the attacker dead.

According to the Swedish outlet Expressen, the suspect is believed to be a 21-year-old Anton Lundin Pettersson. Swedish police have not released his identity.

The suspect was apparently opposed to immigration, Islam and had signed a campaign opposing Swedish refugee reception,  according to Sweden's Expressen.

Related: There's Been a Dramatic Surge in Hate Crime in the UK and the Most Likely Victims are Muslim

Based on what was found at the suspect's apartment and his reputation for pro-Nazi sympathies, which he allegedly espoused on social media, police believe that the attack was motivated by right-wing ideology and called it a hate crime.

Police said the attacker did not have a previous criminal record and was elusive and withdrawn. Police investigator Thord Haraldsson told Swedish media that the suspect marched around the hallways of the school, knocking on various classroom doors before he entered.

The man was dressed in a Darth Vader-style mask, leading students to initially believe he was dressed in a Halloween costume and some went to take pictures with him on their cell phones. But things quickly turned into a real-life horror story after a teacher asked him to leave the school, reported the Washington Post. That was when the man turned and stabbed the teacher, who died on the spot.

"One of my friends walked over to him to challenge him, but when we saw he stabbed (the teacher), we ran away," one student said in the aftermath of the attack, according to the BBC.

A picture of the suspect wearing a black mask and German World War II-era hat taken with students at the school, moments before the attack, emerged on Swedish media shortly after the suspect was shot by police.

Swedish school killer Anton Lundin-Pettersson had racist motives police says. Victims had immigrant background. — Anders Östlund (@andersostlund)October 23, 2015

A spokesperson for the police said that the attacker had apparently hunted out darker-skinned students and left the lighter-skinned students alone. When police searched the suspect's home, they found what looked to be a suicide note and evidence that the event was planned beforehand.

Sweden is still reeling with shock and sorrow from Thursday's attack. Violence, especially at a school, is rare in the country, and this is the first attack at a school in the country since 1961, when a school shooting took place that killed one person, according to the Associated Press.

"This is a black day for Sweden," Prime Minister Stephen Löfven said. "My thoughts go out to the victims and their families, pupils and staff, and the entire community that has been affected. There are no words to describe what they are going through right now."

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