A picture said to be of the suspect in Sweden’s worst mass shooting has been revealed by local media.
The image, published by Swedish daily Expressen, is said to show Rickard Andersson, 35, as a child of around eight or nine, dressed in hunting gear and holding a rifle.
According to the report, a source confirmed the picture shows Andersson.
The photograph was reportedly taken at Andersson’s family summer cottage and would appear to show an early interest in guns.
Three guns were found next to Andersson following the massacre in the school, with authorities confirming that the shooter had a hunting license for the weapons.
The shooter, armed with at least one high-powered rifle, stormed the campus on Tuesday afternoon, leaving a trail of devastation before being found dead.
Police confirmed the attacker had links to the school where he carried out the massacre, though his exact connection remains unclear, with authorities saying he may have previously attended Risbergska.
A staggering 130 officers responded to frantic emergency calls as chaos unfolded at the 180,000sq ft school, which serves adult learners, immigrants studying Swedish, and people with intellectual disabilities.
A picture said to be of the suspect – named in local media as Rickard Andersson, 35, – in Sweden’s worst mass shooting shows he had an interest in guns even as a child
Rickard Andersson, 35, is suspected of having carried out the mass murder at Campus Risbergska in Orebro
Footage captured the moment the Swedish school shooter paced the corridors of the building before his deadly rampage
What they encountered was nothing short of horrific. ‘Dead people, injured people, screams and smoke,’ local police chief Lars Wiren said at a news conference. ‘Many people running inside and outside the premises.’
Five people were found with serious gunshot wounds, all aged over 18. Two remain in intensive care in serious but stable condition, while the other three are recovering after surgery. A sixth person was treated for minor injuries.
Police scoured the vast campus for further casualties, fearing more victims in the wake of Sweden’s worst-ever mass shooting.
Despite the scale of the bloodshed, investigators have yet to uncover a clear motive. Police say the shooter acted alone and had given no warning signs before carrying out his attack.
At this stage, authorities do not suspect any links to terrorism.
Authorities are yet to officially confirm the shooter’s identity, but relatives speaking to Swedish press painted a picture of a troubled recluse who had lost contact with his family and friends.
His relatives said Andersson was a withdrawn loner who was unemployed and ‘having a hard time’.
Expressen reported that Andersson had ‘extreme social phobia’ and would walk around with his ‘hood up’ while covering his mouth with his hands.
One former classmate said he was ‘a little scared’ of him because he always hid his face, according to Expressen.
The shooter also legally changed his name from Jonas Simon eight years ago – a move that took family members by surprise.
‘We haven’t had much contact with him in recent years. As a child he was different but lively. He did well in school,’ one relative said. ‘But in recent years he has had a hard time. He is not working.’
Police found three guns, 10 empty bullet magazines and a ‘large amount’ of unused ammunition next to the gunman – named by Swedish media as Rickard Andersson (pictured), 35 -, who is understood to have turned the gun on himself
Flowers and candles are placed at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting at an adult education center on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025
Police officers work at the scene of the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden
Andersson pictured in high school. He was described as a loner with an ‘extreme social phobia’
Another added: ‘He’s really a loner. He used to have a friend he hung out with a lot, but not now. He wants to be by himself. He doesn’t seem to like people.’
They went on to say that the shooter had little contact with his parents who are ‘out travelling a lot’, but that he liked to ‘take care of their dog’.
In Orebro, a town of 160,000, the community remains gripped by mourning and confusion.
‘It has been two days of shock and grief,’ said John Johansson, chairman of the municipal board.
‘We are still asking why, still wondering what has happened. The outpouring of grief and togetherness has been enormous.’
On Wednesday, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited the town, alongside Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, to attend a memorial service for the victims.
The Swedish Football Association has pledged to hold a moment of silence at future international matches.
For many, the horror of such violence in a country where gun attacks at schools are almost unheard of remains difficult to process.
‘This is not just a Swedish problem,’ Johansson said. ‘It’s a problem we have seen throughout the world.’
The massacre began as students were leaving for the day after finishing a national exam. Survivors described scenes of sheer terror as the shooter opened fire.
‘Those were the worst hours of my life,’ said 35-year-old Hellen Werme, who told Swedish newspaper Expressen she feared she would be gunned down at any moment.
‘I did not know if I would get shot there and then, or in ten minutes. You simply waited.’
One woman, caught in the crossfire, believed she would never see her children again. Another desperately used a friend’s shawl to stem the bleeding of a man shot in the shoulder.
Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson with his wife Birgitta Ed visit the memorial site where mourners placed candles and flowers outside Campus Risbergska School, the day after the school shooting at Risbergska school in Orebro, Sweden
A clip shared on Snapchat by one horrified student shows a crowd sprinting away from the location of the shots
Heavily armed police are seen approaching the school in the wake of the shooting
Emergency services work at the scene of shooting at Campus Risbergska School
Salim Iskef (right, pictured with his fiancée), 29, was one of ten people shot dead by a gunman during the deadly rampage at Orebro’s Risbergska adult education centre on Tuesday
It comes after the heartbreaking last moments of a victim of Sweden’s shooting massacre were revealed.
Salim Iskef, 29, was one of ten people shot dead by the gunman – named by Swedish media as Rickard Andersson, 35 – during the deadly rampage at Orebro’s Risbergska adult education centre on Tuesday.
Before Iskef succumbed to his gunshot wounds, he heartbreakingly called his mother via video call.
‘He said he was shot, that he was in pain. He asked her to take care of his fiancée,’ Salim’s aunt Nadia Deeb told Swedish outlet Alkompis.
Iskef then called his fiancée, who he planned on marrying in June, and asked her to take care of his mother. This was the last time his loved ones heard from him.
Iskef, an Orthodox Christian, had fled Syria in 2015 and then lived in Sweden where he gained citizenship. He attended the adult education centre to gain a qualification in healthcare, as he hoped to help others, according to his aunt.
