Sweden school shooting latest: King and Queen lead country in mourning as more details about suspect emerge
The gunman who massacred 10 people at a school campus in Örebro has been identified as 35-year-old Rickard Andersson by Swedish media.
Andersson changed into green military clothing in a school toilet before carrying out the shooting at Risbergska School, then turning the gun on himself.
Relatives described Andersson as an unemployed recluse, who lived a lonely life and suffered with mental problems, the news site Aftonbladet reported.
Andersson had received a licence for four hunting rifles, and documents from the Swedish National Service Agency show he had been told repeatedly he was not eligible for military service after he came of age, it added.
A police source confirmed the name to Reuters news agency.
The King and Queen of Sweden paid a solemn visit to the site of Sweden 's worst ever killings in Örebro.
King Carl XVI Gustaf stood by Queen Silvia's side as she laid bright white flowers at a makeshift memorial near the site
"A grieving process is hard to do alone," King Carl told reporters. "I think all of Sweden feels it has experienced this traumatic event.'
Six police officers treated for smoke inhalation
Six police officers were treated for smoke inhalation following the shooting.
Authorities are investigating whether arson was involved but will not yet confirm where the smoke came from.
The fire alarm was triggered, and police believe there was no regular fire.
Jane Dalton6 February 2025 04:00
Everything we know about campus attack which left 11 dead
Eleven people are dead after a rampaging gunman opened fire at an adult education centre in central Sweden, in what is believed to be the country's worst ever mass shooting.
Armed police were scrambled to Risbergska School, in Örebro, at lunchtime on Tuesday, as terrified students hid under their desks and barricaded themselves in classrooms.
The suspect has been named in Swedish media as 35-year-old recluse Rickard Andersson, described by relatives as a 'loner' who 'doesn't seem to like people'.
Here is how the attack unfolded:
Sweden school shooting: How campus attack which left 11 dead unfolded
Sweden's prime minister said the attack at the Risbergska School was the worst mass shooting in country's history
Namita Singh6 February 2025 03:11
Black armbands and minute's silence at football match
Football teams Degerfors IF and Orebro Syrianska wore black armbands at a friendly match on Wednesday evening.
The teams also held a minute's silence before the match to honour the victims of the terrible attack in Örebro, Degerfors IF announced.
'Our thoughts are with those affected and their families,' said the club, which plays in the highest tier of Swedish football.
Jane Dalton6 February 2025 03:00
Who was Sweden school shooting suspect accused of killing 10 people?
The gunman behind Sweden's worst-ever shooting has been named by Swedish media as 35-year-old Rickard Andersson.
After massacring 10 people at Risbergska School in Orebro, police believe the attacker turned the gun on himself.
Andersson was described by relatives as a 'loner' who 'doesn't seem to like people', Swedish outlet Aftonbladet reported. He suffered with mental health problems, had a licence for multiple hunting rifles, and had repeatedly been refused military service, the outlet added.
More in this report:
Rickard Andersson: Who was Sweden school shooting suspect accused of killing 10
Andersson was said to be a recluse who had maintained little contact with his family for years before tragedy unfolded at Risbergska School in Orebro
Namita Singh6 February 2025 03:00
Wave of shootings and bombings in Sweden
Sweden has been struggling with a wave of shootings and bombings caused by an endemic gang crime problem that has led to the highest per capita rate of gun violence in the EU in recent years in the country of 10 million people.
However, fatal attacks at schools are rare.
Ten people were killed in seven incidents of deadly violence at schools between 2010 and 2022, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.
Sweden has a high level of gun ownership by European standards, mainly linked to hunting, though it is much lower than in the United States, while the gang crime wave has highlighted the high incidence of illegal weapons.
In one of the highest-profile crimes of the past decade, a 21-year-old masked assailant driven by racist motives killed a teaching assistant and a boy and wounded two others in 2015.
In 2017, a man driving a truck mowed down shoppers on a busy street in central Stockholm before crashing into a department store. Five people died in that attack.
Jane Dalton6 February 2025 02:00
Fellow pupil says Andersson was loner
A person who went to the same school as Rickard Andersson while growing up told TV4 Nyheterna he was a loner.
'He was very quiet and kept to himself most of the time. It wasn't noticeable much when he was little, but the older he got, the more he withdrew,' they said.
'In his last year he was often at home. I think he then completely disappeared from school.'
Jane Dalton6 February 2025 01:00
Empathy will help us, says prime minister
Sweden's prime minister Ulf Kristersson, who joined the king and queen in visiting Orebro, said: "February 4 will for ever mark a dark day in Swedish history.
"We are a country in mourning and we must all come together."
He wrote on social media: 'The empathy and kindness shown by people here in Sweden and across the globe will help us through this dark period.'
Jane Dalton5 February 2025 23:59
Suspect 'had Asperger's and autism'
The gun murders suspect had Asperger's and high-functioning autism, and had major problems at school, according to Sweden's TV4.
' From the spring semester of grade eight and throughout grade nine, he failed all subjects. He was therefore not eligible for upper secondary school and had to follow an individual program,' the channel reported.
'Rickard Andersson studied at Wadköping Education Center in Örebro. There he attended a special class for people with Asperger's and high-functioning autism, and he received mixed grades.
'He passed in aesthetic activities and history, but failed in all other subjects.
'Rickard Andersson also did not do military service, as his lack of high school grades meant that he was never called up for military service.'
Jane Dalton5 February 2025 22:30
In pictures: Mourning in Orebro
Jane Dalton5 February 2025 21:30
Sweden mourns shooting victims – full report
Jane Dalton5 February 2025 20:30
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Powys County Times
Greta Thunberg arrives in Paris after being deported from Israel
Activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in Paris after being deported from Israel on Tuesday and called for more action to support aid efforts for Gaza. Speaking upon arrival at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, Ms Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Freedom Flotilla. She described a 'quite chaotic and uncertain' situation during the detention. The Swedish activist said the conditions they faced 'are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now'.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
I helped the Madleen set sail for Gaza – let's not forget why we did it
Dylan Hamilton, 20, was involved in the logistics of the mission – co-ordinated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) – which set sail from Sicily on June 1 to deliver much-needed aid to Gaza and attempt to break Israel's naval blockade. Yet Hamilton also had a personal reason for being there – some of those on board were his friends. Dylan Hamilton (Image: Supplied) 'I went to be with the people who I love who were about to get on the ship. We didn't know what would happen to them,' he told The National. We now know more about the fate of the Madleen. The vessel was intercepted early on Monday morning, as Israeli forces jammed communications, surrounded the vessel, used drones to spray a white 'irritant' substance on board, before boarding and seizing the ship and detaining the 12 crew members. Four of the 12 activists have since been deported – including Swedish climate and social justice campaigner Greta Thunberg – while the other eight remain in Israel after refusing to sign documents consenting to deportation. They are now set to appear before a tribunal. READ MORE: Recap: UK silent as Israel imprisons MEP and journalists from Madleen aid ship For the eight activists who remain detained in Israel, one of whom is French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, Hamilton said the coalition was limited in what it could do because there was no direct communication with the crew. He told The National: 'What we've been calling for is for activists to contact the countries and embassies of the nationalities of the activists, as well as the UK since it was a UK-registered boat. 'Hopefully there have been some interventions, it's hard to know exactly what has happened but we think there has been some engagement with consulates in Israel.' The Madleen was sailing under a UK flag, meaning it was under UK jurisdiction while in international waters. At the time of writing, there has been no official statement or intervention from the UK Government, despite repeated calls from the FFC to ensure 'protection' for the Madleen and its crew. 'I'm obviously angry but not exactly surprised, it's entirely expected', Hamilton said of the UK Government's lack of response. 'If they're not going to condemn or even stop their own complicity in other war crimes, why would they intervene in this one?' READ MORE: UK Government sends spy plane over Gaza as Freedom Flotilla ship threatened by Israel But he added: 'We still have to show the outrage, because if there's enough outrage then potentially they U-turn.' Hamilton drew similarities with the FFC's most recent mission before the Madleen, which he was also involved with – the Conscience. In May, we told how the coalition said the ship came under direct attack from two drones not far from where it had set off, injuring four of the activists onboard. There was a media blackout on the Conscience's journey, but this time the world has been able to follow the Madleen as it made its way towards Gaza – thanks to an online tracker and the crew's presence on social media. READ MORE: Social media is making sure the whole world is watching the Madleen's journey to Gaza Hamilton argued that because Israel knows it is being watched this time, its tactics have been to delegitimise the Madleen's true goal – to deliver aid to the Palestinian people, at a time when many humanitarian organisations are warning that famine is imminent in Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry has done this by attempting to depict the mission as a publicity stunt, branding the Madleen a "selfie yacht" and a "gimmick". 'By calling [the Madleen] a selfie yacht, they're trying to delegitimise the tactic that has explicitly worked,' Hamilton told The National. 'They don't want to acknowledge that it's the media attention that forced them to act not with impunity this time. Last time when there wasn't that attention, they bombed it and it didn't get as much reach as this has gotten. 'It exposes them. It's not humanity that stops them, it's not the law that stops them. It's attention and fame. 'I think the Palestine movement has a lot to learn from that and how we plan future actions.' Since 2010, all flotillas attempting to break the blockade have been intercepted or attacked by Israel, and the Madleen was no different. However, Hamilton stressed that while the media's attention remains on the Madleen, particularly on the high-profile figures who were on board, the group's focus has always been 'on the Palestinians.' He told The National: '[The crew] were protected because they're famous and European, whereas Palestinians obviously don't have that same protection. 'People in Palestine are kidnapped constantly, thousands are held illegally in detention where they've been tortured, beaten. READ MORE: UK sanctions extremist Israeli ministers over Gaza comments 'We get to worry about that safe at home in our beds, whilst people in Gaza have to worry about that while fleeing more bombs.' He added: 'Obviously the boat was never going to feed the entire population, it was just doing what it could. 'The problem is that Israel has been allowed to blockade Gaza and allow the genocide to continue. 'Even if they'd let aid in, the mission won't stop until Palestine is free.'
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Leader Live
Greta Thunberg arrives in Paris after being deported from Israel
Speaking upon arrival at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, Ms Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Freedom Flotilla. She described a 'quite chaotic and uncertain' situation during the detention. The Swedish activist said the conditions they faced 'are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now'.
