Sweden: At least ten people were killed and several others were injured after a shooting incident occurred at an education center in central Sweden on Tuesday. The suspect was among the dead, Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said. However, authorities released a few other details, including the person’s identity and a possible motive.
“We do not think there is any terror motive behind this, but it is too early in the investigation to say,” Roberto Eid Forest, the head of the local police, said on Tuesday evening, as reported by the New York Times. “We think we have the perpetrator,” he added, “but we are not ruling out anything.” The shooting took place in Orebro at the Risbergska educational center around 12:30 PM local time, the New York Times reported.
The campus, which serves about 2,000 students, offers classes for adults studying for a high school diploma, along with Swedish-language and vocational courses, according to the Orebro municipality’s website. Cellphone footage aired on local TV stations showed students taking shelter under desks and chairs, while others fled the building toward emergency service vehicles. The number of injured individuals was still unclear as of late Tuesday.
Authorities launched a “major operation,” with police cars swarming the campus and armed special forces officers securing the area. Police also investigated several addresses in the city.
After several hours, the police evacuated the centre’s classrooms, allowing dozens of students and children to leave.
In a statement, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called it “the worst mass shooting in Swedish history” following the tragedy. “We have seen a brutal act of violence,” he said in a televised address, the New York Times reported.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also expressed grief over the shooting incident.
“What happened today in Orebro is truly horrifying. Such violence and terror have no place in our societies–least of all in schools. In this dark hour, we stand with the people of Sweden. Our thoughts are with the victims, and we wish them strength and a swift recovery,” she wrote in a post on X.
