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Morning opening: Why?
Jakub Krupa
Örebro and Sweden wake up this morning desperate to know the answer to a straightforward question: why?
The country wakes up this morning reeling from the deadliest mass shooting in its history, with eleven people dead after an attack at an adult education centre on Tuesday. The death toll could still change.
Region Örebro confirmed on Wednesday morning that six people remain at the hospital: five with gunshot wounds – three women, two men, all adults – and one with other minor injuries. No additional patients were admitted overnight.
The gunman was believed to be among those killed, and his motive remained unclear. He had no known connections to gangs or terrorism and had not previously been known to police. His property was raided on Tuesday night, and local media painted a picture of a loner, but no simple explanation was forthcoming as to why he committed the attack.
But that does not stop all sorts of speculation online; to the point that police felt the need to push back on some of the narratives emerging online.
“We want to be clear that based on investigative and intelligence information at present, there is no information pointing to the attacker acting on ideological motives,” they said overnight. “Do not spread unconfirmed information.”
Speaking on SVT 2’s Aktuellt last night, prime minister Ulf Kristersson admitted it was still “difficult to take the magnitude of this,” with “sadness settling all over Sweden,” and many questions left unanswered. He also called on the public to not speculate but to let police go through their investigation.
But he insisted that Swedish schools “are no less safe than they were yesterday morning,” as he urged Swedes to stay calm and return to normal lives.
We will bring you the latest from Örebro, Sweden and across Europe throughout the day. A police press conference is expected at 10am (9am GMT).
It’s Wednesday, 5 February 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
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Flags at half-mast across Sweden
All government buildings and royal palaces in Sweden will fly flags at half-mast from 9am today to commemorate yesterday’s shooting.
The decision was announced in a series of press releases by the royal family, the government, and the speaker of the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament.
Morning opening: Why?
Jakub Krupa
Örebro and Sweden wake up this morning desperate to know the answer to a straightforward question: why?
The country wakes up this morning reeling from the deadliest mass shooting in its history, with eleven people dead after an attack at an adult education centre on Tuesday. The death toll could still change.
Region Örebro confirmed on Wednesday morning that six people remain at the hospital: five with gunshot wounds – three women, two men, all adults – and one with other minor injuries. No additional patients were admitted overnight.
The gunman was believed to be among those killed, and his motive remained unclear. He had no known connections to gangs or terrorism and had not previously been known to police. His property was raided on Tuesday night, and local media painted a picture of a loner, but no simple explanation was forthcoming as to why he committed the attack.
But that does not stop all sorts of speculation online; to the point that police felt the need to push back on some of the narratives emerging online.
“We want to be clear that based on investigative and intelligence information at present, there is no information pointing to the attacker acting on ideological motives,” they said overnight. “Do not spread unconfirmed information.”
Speaking on SVT 2’s Aktuellt last night, prime minister Ulf Kristersson admitted it was still “difficult to take the magnitude of this,” with “sadness settling all over Sweden,” and many questions left unanswered. He also called on the public to not speculate but to let police go through their investigation.
But he insisted that Swedish schools “are no less safe than they were yesterday morning,” as he urged Swedes to stay calm and return to normal lives.
We will bring you the latest from Örebro, Sweden and across Europe throughout the day. A police press conference is expected at 10am (9am GMT).
It’s Wednesday, 5 February 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
