Sweden school shooting latest: Police not ruling out racist motivation as multiple nationalities among 10 killed
Swedish Police have confirmed they are not ruling out the possibility that the mass school shooting was racially motivated as it emerged that the 10 people killed are of multiple nationalities.
The force told The Independent on Thursday that its investigation is ongoing and it is not ruling out anything at this stage when it comes to motive.
Syrian refugee Salim Iskef, 29, an Orthodox Christian who fled the war in Syria in 2015, has become the first victim to be named, with his aunt telling local media her nephew was a “very kind person” who “just wanted to finish his studies”.
But he was killed when suspected 35-year-old gunman Rickard Andersson, named in Swedish reports, slaughtered 10 students at Risbergska School in Örebro on Tuesday before turning the gun on himself, police believe.
Swedish Police said the around 130 officers who arrived at the scene described facing “an inferno”, with dead and injured people seen among smoke as screams rang out, and 10 magazines found.
The Syrian embassy confirmed its citizens were among the dead, offering “sincere condolences” to the victims’ families “including dear Syrian citizens” in a post on its official Facebook page.
A Bosnian citizen is also among the dead, the country’s foreign ministry announced on X.
Investigators said on Thursday the victims are “different nationalities, different genders and different ages”, according to Expressen.
No victims have been officially named by Swedish police.
Meanwhile, details continue to emerge about Andersson, an unemployed recluse with four gun licences, who allegedly changed into green military gear in a school toilet before carrying out the massacre, according to Swedish media.
