Örebro School Shooting

On 4 February 2025, a school shooting occurred at Campus Risbergska, an adult education center in Örebro, Sweden. The shooter was identified as 35-year-old Rickard Andersson. As of 16 May 2025, the Swedish Police Authority appeared to close their investigation, saying the perpetrator appeared to have a suicidal motive for his attack. According to police, the perpetrator likely chose this specific school to attack because he had connections to Campus Risbergska.

He was enrolled there for some time but failed to keep up and complete his studies. Eleven people were killed, including the perpetrator, and six others were injured. Six people were hospitalised, and authorities initially warned there might be more casualties. According to Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson, this is the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history.

Background

Campus Risbergska is an adult education (komvux) center, primarily attended by people who have not completed primary or secondary school. Located in Örebro in central Sweden, the school shares a campus with several other educational institutions.

The campus was originally a girls school that opened in 1863. It was expanded to include secondary education but without the right to graduate. Over the years, the school has changed its focus and name. Prior to the opening of the campus on the premises, the facility was a high school dedicated to students with disabilities.

Campus Risbergska, as it's known today, was opened in 2017. The following year, the learning centre of the campus was expanded. At the time, around 2,000 adult students were enrolled at the school.

Shooting

Reports indicate that the perpetrator, Rickard Andersson, arrived at Campus Risbergska by bus approximately 1.5 hours before he attacked. He was seen near the school's entrance at 10:59 CET, but his exact movements inside the building remain unclear.

Law enforcement were called around 12:33 and arrived six minutes later. Two teachers at the school told ''Dagens Nyheter'' that they heard gunshots from a corridor, followed by silence for a half-hour, and then more shooting. The perpetrator fired 70 shots during the shooting. Around 120 police officers were dispatched to the school following the shooting.

According to the police, shots were still being fired on the premises during their search. Police never confronted or saw the shooter alive. He was found dead an hour later at 13:30 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Maria Pegado, a teacher at the school, recalled hearing the shots and escaped with her 15 students through the hallway. Ingela Bäck Gustafsson, the school's principal, was eating when students ran in and told everyone to evacuate; she and others took shelter in the staff room of , a nearby second-hand store. Lena Warenmark, another teacher at the school, said that fewer than usual students were in the building at the time of the shooting since many had gone home following a national exam.

The Swedish Police Authority stated that the perpetrator had acted alone, and was confirmed dead in the shooting. Local police chief Roberto Eid Forest said the shooter appeared to have killed himself. Sveriges Radio, citing police investigations, said that an automatic firearm had been used in the shooting. Three firearms were found near his body, along with ten empty magazines, 100 cartridges and large amounts of unused ammunition. Police confirmed that Andersson used three smoke grenades during the attack. ''Aftonbladet'' reported that the weapons were transported into the school inside a guitar case and in two bags, while the gunman changed into a military style garb in one of the school bathrooms before carrying out the shooting.

Police soon cordoned off the area. Ambulances were sent from the neighbouring counties of Södermanland and Västmanland to assist medical personnel in Örebro, while Värmland sent blood. In addition, Värmland and Dalarna provided police reinforcements.

Casualties

In total, eleven people, including the perpetrator of the shooting, died: the perpetrator fatally shot ten before killing himself. Six people were taken to Örebro University Hospital, five of whom had gunshot wounds and sustained life-threatening injuries.

The fatalities included seven women and three men; their ages ranged between 28 and 68 years. Six police officers were treated for smoke inhalation. Police confirmed that the perpetrator used at least one smoke grenade in the shooting.

Two citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina were identified as having been shot. One, a female volunteer named Selma Hukić, was killed; the other, a janitor, was injured, but not critically. Both victims came from Tuzla.

Two male Christian refugees from Syria were confirmed among the fatalities. Salim Iskef was a 28-year-old Assyrian who had fled from ISIS and was part of Örebro's Assyrian community. He was due to get married in the summer. He had called his fiancée after the shooting started and asked her to look after his mother. His funeral was held eight days later at a Syriac Orthodox parish.

Other fatalities included two women, an Eritrean and a Kurdish citizen of Iraq (originally from Shaqlawa), who both worked at the school. Elsa Teklay, had immigrated to Sweden from Eritrea in 2015 and was a nursing student at the time. Three other fatalities were identified as citizens of Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia. Ali Mohammed Jafari was 41 years old and from Afghanistan; he was training to be a janitor at the time of the shooting. The Iranian victim, Niloofar, was 42 and also a nursing student.

Perpetrator

The day after the shooting, 35-year-old Rickard Andersson (born 10 August 1989 as Jonas Rickard Simon) was identified as the shooter and had acted alone. Andersson had always lived in Örebro and had been enrolled at Campus Risbergska in 2013 and applied for a mathematics course in 2019, but exited the course in 2021. His residence was found to have been barricaded when it was raided by the police. Prior to the shooting, Andersson sold or attempted to sell his personal belongings, researched how to clean firearms, bought ammunition, bought smoke grenades (which he would use in the shooting) and acquired the guitar case he would use to store his weapons in to bypass into the school. Andersson had acquired a firearms licence in 2011, which he bought three out of the 4 firearms he owned in the same year. The four firearms were: a Browning BAR ( .30-06), a Ruger 10/22 ( .22 LR), a Mossberg 590A1 (12-gauge) and a Winchester 1300 (12-gauge). He had no prior criminal convictions, though in the ensuing investigation it was found he frequently bought narcotics from 2019 and onwards. He was also reported to be living reclusively since 2016 and was unemployed, receiving money from government health care benefits.

Motive

On 16th May, the police had come to the conclusion that Andersson was suicidal and angry that his health care service income benefits had been stopped therefore leading him decide to take his frustrations out on the school as it was a familiar place.

On 5th February, Police stated that everything indicated the shooter had "no ideological motive." Police confirmed on 16th May that there was no political ideology or targeted attack against a person or specific group of people. The victims of the attack were random and were shot because they were in Andersson's path.

Although, police noted that the perpetrator's phone and hard drives were missing which could have stored crucial information for the motive of the attack.

Aftermath

Nearby schools were put into lockdown, and police instructed the public to stay away. The Örebro municipal government provided support following the shootings, setting up a crisis centre at the Haga Church. The Örebro Mosque also stayed open on the evening of 4 February to offer support.

On 5 February, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia visited Örebro and laid flowers near the site of the shooting. The National Police Commissioner Petra Lundh stated, "The police have reason to review procedures and guidelines for the handling of weapons licences." On 6 February, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson invited the leaders of all political parties in the Riksdag to attend a cabinet meeting, where a minute of silence was observed for the victims. The ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Sweden Bojan Sosic laid flowers outside of the school in honor of the Bosnian victims of the shooting.

On 9 February, the Swedish government announced that a national minute of silence would be observed at 12 p.m. on 11 February, and that flags would be flown at half-mast from 9 a.m. until the end of the minute of silence.

In the aftermath, businessman Elon Musk faced criticism for amplifying a misleading claim that European politicians and mainstream media remained silent about the tragedy, claiming that "no European politician" had mentioned the massacre. Before Musk deleted his post, it was seen 1.2 million times, and Community Notes had corrected his statements. This assertion was later debunked, as numerous European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, publicly condemned the attack, and major media outlets provided extensive coverage.

Misinformation

The shooting initially prompted speculation on social media about the perpetrator's identity, leading to some individuals being wrongfully accused. The police urged the public to not spread unconfirmed information.

On 5 February, TV4 published a video clip shared by a person hiding in the building, it claims that the words "you need to leave Europe" were shouted before a bullet was fired. The release of the video and the interpretation has been criticised as being misleading by several audio professionals, who have not been able to reach the same conclusion.

Reactions

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson commented on social media that it is "a very painful day for all of Sweden", and urged an investigation into the shooting. Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer called the shooting "one of the worst shootings in Swedish history". King Carl XVI Gustaf sent his condolences, as did local politicians and world leaders including King Frederik X of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, President Alexander Stubb of Finland, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Roberto Eid Forest, head of the local police, described the scene as "awful, exceptional" and "a nightmare". Flags at all government institutions as well as royal palaces were set at half-mast on 5 February. On 6 February the Swedish Football Association said it would begin scheduled international matches with a moment of silence for the victims.

The Danish Ministry of Justice announced that 5 and 6 February, the birthdays of Queen Mary and Princess Marie respectively, would not be observed as flag flying days, out of respect for the victims of the shooting.

On 5 February, the day after the shooting, a memorial service was held at Sankt Nicolai Church in Örebro. The King and Queen, the Prime Minister and other government representatives, and several leaders of major political parties attended the ceremony. Also, on the night of 5 February, the Øresund Bridge was illuminated in the colours of the Swedish flag to honour the victims.

On 7 February, the Swedish government and the Sweden Democrats unveiled plans to pass stricter regulations on firearms, including restricting access to semi-automatic weapons such as the AR-15.

See also

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* 2025 in Sweden

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Risbergska school shooting, 2025
2025 mass shootings in Europe
2025 murders in Europe
21st-century mass murder in Sweden
attacks on schools in 2025
deaths by firearm in Sweden
February 2025 crimes in Europe
February 2025 in Sweden
mass murder in 2025
mass shootings in Sweden
murder–suicides in Sweden
Örebro
Attacks on schools in Sweden
school killings in Europe
school shootings in Europe
suicides by firearm in Sweden
2020s murders in Sweden
2025 mass shootings
21st century in Örebro County
Mass shootings involving shotguns