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.
On Tuesday, police received reports of a shooting in Orebro, a city 200km (124 miles) west of Stockholm, at 12:33 local time, before exchanging bullets with the suspect as terrified students scrambled for cover in their classrooms. Authorities are yet to officially name the suspected killer but a police source confirmed the name of the suspect to Reuters on Wednesday.
The gunman changed into green military clothing in a school toilet before he carried out the killings, carrying three guns and a knife, Aftonbladet reported.
Five people – three men and two women – remained in serious condition in hospitals following the Risbergska School shooting as of Wednesday morning, health officials said.
Police continue to investigate the motive of the attack, in a country where school shootings are extremely rare.
Daily tabloid Aftonbladet, citing relatives of the suspected shooter, described him as a recluse who had maintained little contact with his family for years.
After school he lived a life of isolation, it reported. “He’s really a loner,” a relative said. “He used to have a friend he hung out with a lot, but not now. He wants to be by himself. He doesn’t seem to like people and stuff like that.”
Swedish broadcaster SVT, citing unnamed sources, reported that the attacker held a hunting licence, like many in Sweden, and used a hunting weapon during the shooting.
The bloodshed was so severe that police initially struggled to determine the number of victims amid the carnage.
Orebro’s police chief Roberto Eid Forest said that the attacker acted alone and wasn’t known to police before the shootout. He also had no connection to a gang, he added.
“At the moment we are confident that no more attacks will occur. The schools that were occupied have been evacuated,” police chief Forest said, according to public broadcaster SVT.
“We’re working with secret services but as far as I know, it’s a person unknown to police,” said Forest, when he was asked if the shooter lived in Orebro.
He added that police “can’t say anything about the kind of weapon” that was used during the attack “other than it was a firearm”.
Following the attack, police conducted a large-scale search operation at a residence in Orebro believed to be linked to the suspect.
The search operation was extensive, with heavily armed officers deployed at the scene and drones used to inspect the apartment through its windows.
The snipers, meanwhile, took positions on nearby rooftops and by 5pm local time initial phase of the operation had concluded, and cordons were being lifted.
However, officers at the scene declined to answer questions from local residents or specify how long the operation would continue.
All government buildings and royal palaces in Sweden will fly flags at half-mast from 9am Wednesday to commemorate the shooting, said press secretary to the prime minister of Sweden Tom Samuelsson.
On Wednesday, the Swedish police warned people against “erroneous narratives” that were being spread on social media regarding the mass shooting.
“We want to be clear that based on investigative and intelligence information at present, there is no information pointing to the culprit acting on ideological motives,” police said in a brief statement on its website.
