Sweden is in shock after worst mass killing in its history

Sweden was in shock on Wednesday after the worst mass killing in its history, in which 11 people, including the perpetrator, were killed at an adult education center in Örebro (central Sweden), raising many unanswered questions.

Police said an armed man killed about 10 people and was then found dead, while Swedish media reported that he killed himself.

On Wednesday, police issued a statement that 11 people were killed, including the attacker.

The statement also explained that the motives for the shooting aren’t yet known, but everything indicates that the perpetrator acted alone without any ideological motives.

Schools in Sweden are relatively safe from violence, but in recent years the country has witnessed shootings and homemade bomb explosions in its neighborhoods, killing dozens of people each year.

For his part, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersen said in a press conference on Tuesday evening that it was the worst mass killing in the country’s history.

“Many questions remain unanswered,” he added.

According to the Swedish police, the attacker was 35 years old and the police raided his home in Örebro late Tuesday, as they reveal that he had a gun license and a clean criminal record.

Swedish Aftonbladet newspaper quoted his relatives as saying that he was isolated, unemployed and far from his family and friends.

Police were alerted to the attack at around 12:30 local time (11:30 GMT), and four hours later were still operating around the targeted education center, the Risbergska complex for adults preparing for the equivalent of a baccalaureate.

Meanwhile, students in the educational center and neighboring schools remained trapped for hours before being gradually evacuated.

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf said Tuesday evening he learned of the shooting “with sadness and shock”.

Earlier, the prime minister said, “This is a very painful day for all of Sweden… My thoughts go out to all those whose normal school day has been replaced by horror… Being stuck in a classroom, fearing for your life, is a nightmare that no one should have to live through”.

There have been several serious accidents in schools in recent years.

In March 2022, an 18-year-old student stabbed two teachers to death at a high school in the southern city of Malmö.

Two months ago, a 16-year-old was arrested after stabbing a student and a teacher at a school in the small town of Kristianstad.

In October 2015, three people were killed in a racially motivated attack at a school in the western town of Trollhättan by a sword-wielding attacker, who was later shot dead by police.