Swedish authorities are examining whether racial motives played a role in the country’s worst mass shooting, after it was revealed that victims of multiple nationalities, including Syrians, were among the 11 people killed at an adult education center in Örebro on Tuesday.
Lead investigator Anna Bergqvist confirmed that police are looking into all possible motives, including racism, after the attack at Campus Risbergska. The Syrian embassy in Stockholm condemned the violence, confirming that Syrian citizens were among the victims.
One of the victims, 28-year-old Salim Iskef, managed to call his fiancée, Kareen Elia, after being shot. “He told me, ‘I’ve been shot, they shot us.’ He said he loved me, and that was the last thing I heard,” she recounted tearfully to SVT. The couple had been planning to get married in July, and Elia is still waiting for an official confirmation of his fate.
Police have not yet confirmed the names of the victims, as the identification process is still ongoing.
The suspected gunman, Rickard Andersson, 35, was among the dead. Media reports indicate he was a former student at the school, unemployed for a decade, and had a license for four firearms, three of which were found next to him at the scene.
Authorities have searched his home, examined his phones, and analyzed video and audio footage provided by witnesses. Örebro police chief Lars Wirén described the scene upon officers’ arrival as an “inferno” of bodies, injuries, smoke, and screams.
Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson, former Swedish prime minister, highlighted that Campus Risbergska has a diverse student body, urging unity in Swedish society. “We need to work together and avoid further division,” she said.
She also called for tougher gun laws, emphasizing that too many weapons are accessible in Sweden. Additionally, she urged the EU to regulate social media, stating that violent content is “romanticizing violence” and influencing young people.
Education Minister Lotta Edholm and other officials have also suggested reconsidering Sweden’s open-school policy, which allows easy public access to school buildings.
As investigations continue, Sweden faces critical discussions on security, gun control, and social cohesion following the tragic events in Örebro.