OREBRO, Sweden (Reuters) – The attacker responsible for the worst mass shooting in Swedish history was an unemployed man aged around 35, who had a hunting license and is believed to have acted alone, Swedish media reported.
At least 11 people were killed in Tuesday’s shooting at an adult education centre in Orebro, 200 km (125 miles) west of Stockholm, police said, adding that the gunman was believed to be among those found dead.
Police have said they believe there was no ideological motive behind the attack. They have not yet named the attacker but said he was not known to them prior to the event and had never been convicted of any crime. They also said he had no gang connection.
Sweden’s Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday that the attacker was a man.
Daily tabloid Aftonbladet, which spoke to relatives of the man believed to be the shooter, described him as a recluse who had had limited contact with his family for years.
Swedish public broadcaster SVT, which did not cite its sources, said the attacker, like many in Sweden, had a hunting license. He was using a hunting weapon during the shooting, it added. The attacker lived in Orebro, it said.
The school where the attack was carried out teaches adults who did not complete their formal education or failed to get the grades required to acquire a higher education. It is located on a campus that also houses schools for children.
A gang crime wave has highlighted the high incidence of illegal weapons in Sweden. The country has a high level of gun ownership by European standards, mainly linked to hunting, though it is much lower than in the United States.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander in Orebro and Marie Mannes in Stockholm; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
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