A gunman who shot dead 10 people at an adult education centre had access to several weapons and had “major problems” at school, Swedish media have reported.
The attack at an adult education centre in Orebro on Tuesday was described by the country’s prime minister as the worst mass shooting in Sweden’s history.
In an update on Wednesday, police said the perpetrator appears to have shot himself – and added they are still unclear on the motive.
Swedish media have named the attacker as Rickard Andersson, 35, who was said to have been unemployed for more than 10 years and attended a special class for people with Asperger’s and high-functioning autism, Swedish channel TV4 reports.
A hunting weapon for which he had a licence was found next to his body at the scene of the attack on Tuesday.
The head of the local police, Roberto Eid Forest, said the centre’s large premises meant it took a long time for officers to search the campus and ensure there were not any more victims.
Police heard gunshots when they arrived and initially thought they were being fired at, he added.
The shooting started about midday local time at Campus Risbergska in the town of Orebro, about 200km (125 miles) west of the capital Stockholm.
The attack happened after many students had gone home following a national exam.
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Students took shelter in nearby buildings and other parts of the campus were evacuated.
Officials said three women and two men, all with gunshot wounds, underwent surgery at hospital. All were in a serious but stable condition after being admitted with life-threatening injuries. Another woman was treated for minor injuries and was stable.
Two of the victims were in intensive care, a health official said, and all the victims were over the age of 18.
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Read more: What we know about Sweden shooting so far
Police previously said the number killed could rise.
They said there were no warnings beforehand and they believe the perpetrator acted alone. The force has not said if the man was a student at the centre.
The authorities said there were no suspected connections to terrorism at this point, but they have not suggested a possible motive for the attack.
Officers raided the suspect’s home after the shooting on Tuesday but they did not say what they found.
Andersson was reported to have not had any income from any job since 2015, while his performance at school was also reviewed as “problematic”, TV4 said, as he failed all subjects from the spring semester of grade eight and throughout grade nine.
Andersson went on to study an individual programme before attending a special class for people with Asperger’s and high-functioning autism at Wadkoping Education Centre in Orebro.
He passed in aesthetic activities and history but failed in all other subjects.
‘Blood everywhere on the floor’
Andreas Sundling, 28, was among those forced to barricade themselves inside.
“We heard loud bangs and first we thought people were fighting outside and maybe throwing chairs and tables, [but] then we heard people screaming,” he told Sky News.
“Then the people in my class realised that something is wrong. We closed all the doors to the classroom and we locked the doors and I barricaded the doors with tables and chairs.”
Mr Sundling said his class hid under the tables and he began thinking about his family, including his two-year-old daughter and six siblings.
The student said there was “blood everywhere on the floor” inside the centre and it was “crazy”.
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The centre is for students over the age of 20, according to its website. It offers primary and upper secondary school courses, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programmes for people with intellectual disabilities.
Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson said the tragedy is the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.
“Today, we have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people,” Mr Kristersson told reporters.
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“This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Many questions remain unanswered, and I cannot provide those answers either.
“But the time will come when we will know what happened, how it could occur, and what motives may have been behind it. Let us not speculate,” he said.
The country’s king Carl XVI Gustaf said the shooting was a “terrible atrocity”.
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“We send our condolences tonight to the families and friends of the deceased. Our thoughts at this time also go to the injured and their relatives, as well as to others affected,” he said.
“My family and I would like to express our great appreciation for the police, rescue and medical personnel who worked intensively to save and protect human lives on this dark day.”
Fatal attacks at educational establishments in Sweden are very rare, with 10 killed in seven incidents between 2010 and 2022, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.
