Sweden shooting: What we know so far

World

A major police operation is under way after five people were shot at an adult education centre in Sweden.

Authorities have warned the public to stay away from the area in the town of Orebro, around 200km (125 miles) west of the capital Stockholm.

Sweden shooting latest: Follow updates

Six people have been taken to hospital, one of whom is critically injured.

Police said they cannot yet say if anyone has been killed. They also gave no further information on whether those injured were students or teachers.

Here is everything we know about the shooting so far.

Image:
Pic:TT News Agency/Kicki Nilsson/Reuters

What happened?

Police were alerted to shots being fired at Campus Risbergska adult education centre just after 12.30pm local time (11.30am UK time) on Tuesday.

The violence broke out after many students had gone home following a national exam. Video footage from the scene showed a large police presence and other emergency vehicles.

Image:
Pic: Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency

Local authorities later confirmed that six people were taken to Orebro University Hospital after the shooting. Five of them have gunshot wounds and four of them have undergone surgery.

Of those four, one is seriously injured, two are stable and one is slightly injured.

None of those admitted to hospital are children, according to a separate update on the Orebro regional authorities’ website.

Students that were sheltering in nearby buildings, and other parts of the school, were evacuated following the shooting.

Campus Risbergska serves students who are over the age of 20, according to its website.

Primary and upper secondary school courses are offered, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programmes for people with intellectual disabilities.

What we know about the suspect

The suspect remains unnamed, but police confirmed they are a male.

Authorities said they believe the suspect is among the five people injured in hospital.

Image:
Pic: AP

Police added that they cannot rule out that there are more suspected attackers involved.

They said the next stage of the investigation is to determine a motive for the shooting.

‘Three bangs and loud screams’

One person who was among those forced to barricade themselves inside the school said they “heard three bangs and loud screams”.

“Now we’re sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school. The information we have received is that we should sit and wait,” they told the Expressen newspaper.

Image:
Police at the scene

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported one person trapped in the school saying “we have heard several shots outside”.

Pavel Koubak, a photographer who was in the area at the time of the attack, said that he saw at least three police helicopters in the sky.

“I was talking to a guy riding a bicycle who passed through the area,” he told Sky News presenter Kamali Melbourne.

“He had a friend that was working inside the school that had sent him a text message that there was automatic rifle fire. He was laying down on the floor inside the school.”

Image:
Pic: TT News Agency/Kicki Nilsson/Reuters

Asked whether gun violence was rare in the area, Mr Koubak said it was not.

“We’ve had plenty of shootings around Sweden and also in Orebro in the last couple of years. But, this seems to be sort of a bigger magnitude,” he said.

“I think [the police] are pretty educated on these types of situations nowadays. There was a pretty quick response from the big unit of police and lots of helicopters very, very quickly after the alarm.”

What have the police said?

Police in Sweden previously warned the public that “danger is not over” but in an update, said they believe the imminent threat is over.

Image:
Pic: Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency/AP

Students and staff at several schools in the area have begun to evacuate, but officers ordered the public to still stay away from the area.

They added that they are “continuing to search the school and are focusing on security work”.

A police helicopter has been pictured circling over the education centre as the operation continues.

What has the government said?

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said it is a “very painful day”.

“My thoughts are also with all those whose normal school day was exchanged for terror,” he wrote on X.

“Being confined to a classroom with fear for one’s own life is a nightmare that no one should have to experience.”

He added that the government is in close contact with police and is following developments.

“My call is also to now give the police the peace of mind they need to investigate what happened and how these horrific crimes could have happened,” Mr Kristersson said.

Justice minister Gunnar Strommer told Swedish news agency TT that the reports were “very serious”.

Sweden’s conservative opposition party leader, Johan Pehrson, said he went to school where the shooting took place.

Describing the shooting as a “black day”, the Liberal Party leader said his thoughts are with all those affected.

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