Swedish police said on Wednesday that “erroneous narratives” were being spread on social media about the mass shooting on Tuesday at an adult education centre, the deadliest gun attack in the Nordic country.
“We want to be clear that based on investigative and intelligence information at present, there is no information pointing to the culprit acting on ideological motives,” police stated in a brief message on their website.
Police reported on Tuesday that 11 people died and many were injured in the shooting at Risbergska School in Orebro, located about 200 kilometers west of Stockholm.
The motive for the crime was not immediately known, and police believed the suspect, who was among the dead and was not known to them previously, acted alone.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the attack as the worst mass shooting in Swedish history, calling it a “painful day,” while King Carl XVI Gustav expressed his condolences.
Sweden has been grappling with a wave of shootings and bombings due to an ongoing gang crime problem, resulting in the country having the highest per capita rate of gun violence in the EU in recent years.
However, fatal attacks in schools are rare.
According to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, there were 10 fatalities from seven deadly incidents at schools between 2010 and 2022.
