Swedish police say “around 10” people have been killed in a shooting on a school campus in the central city of Orebro. Police believe the perpetrator is among the dead and that he acted alone, but a motive is not yet clear.
The shooting happened at a school for adults, although there are children’s schools on the site. Students and staff were kept inside buildings when police thought the attacker was still at large – they are now being evacuated. Police first warned people to stay away from the area at 13:20 local time (12:20 GMT).
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says this is “a very painful day” for the country
The shooting was the deadliest school attack in the country’s history.
“Around 10 people have been killed today,” Orebro police chief Roberto Eid Forest told reporters, adding that police could “not be more specific about the number due to the large number of wounded.”
He provided no details about the number of wounded.
“This is a terrible event. This is exceptional, a nightmare,” Forest said.
Police did not disclose any information about the identity or ages of the dead, nor whether they were students or teachers at the Campus Risbergska secondary school for young adults.
Several media reported the suspected gunman turned his gun on himself but police would not confirm those reports.
“The suspected assailant is not known to police. He has no connection to any gang,” Forest said, referring to the surge in deadly shootings and bombings linked to gang violence that have plagued Sweden in recent years.
“We don’t expect any other attacks,” Forest said.
Authorities said that there were no suspected connections to terrorism at this point, but police didn’t provide a motive.
The school, called Campus Risbergska, serves students who are over age 20, according to its website. Primary and upper secondary school courses are offered, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.
Gun violence at schools is very rare in Sweden. But there have been several incidents in recent years in which people were wounded or killed with other weapons such as knives or axes.
Police raided the suspect’s home after Tuesday’s shooting, but it wasn’t immediately clear what they found. Eid Forest said there were no warning signs before the attack. Authorities were working to identify the deceased.
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