Swedish authorities have reported that five individuals were shot and injured in an incident at a school located in the city of Örebro, approximately 200km west of Stockholm, prompting a substantial response from emergency services.
Pictures from the site showed a significant police presence alongside multiple ambulances and emergency vehicles stationed outside the educational institution.
“The severity of the injuries remains uncertain. The operation is still in progress,” the police noted in an official statement.
Initially, law enforcement stated that four individuals had been shot, but shortly after revised that number to five.
“One of the injured parties is someone we suspect may be the perpetrator,” declared Roberto Eid Forest, the police chief of Örebro, during a press briefing, adding, “We cannot dismiss the possibility of other suspects, and we are actively investigating this critical phase now – seeking to understand what led to this and if there are other potential suspects.”
A teacher from the school recounted being inside the building when he heard gunfire.
“I heard shots, so I have barricaded myself and am awaiting further information. We have alerts set up on our security app and I’m in contact with my colleagues,” Petter Kraftling shared with the online union publication, Vi Lärar.
Media sources reported that the incident occurred at the Campus Risbergska school, an adult secondary institution.
The authorities are treating the crime as “attempted murder, arson, and an aggravated weapons offense,” the police indicated.
Police and emergency responders are currently on-site.
Law enforcement reported that students were kept indoors at the affected school, as well as at neighboring schools.
No police officers have been injured during the operation, they confirmed, following local media claims that officers had come under fire at the scene.
In an update shortly after 2pm (1pm Irish time), authorities emphasized that “the situation is still dangerous. The public MUST stay away.”
Students at both the nearby schools and the school in question have been secured “for safety reasons,” as stated by the police.
A significant police operation is ongoing around the educational facility.
“The news of an attack in Örebro is extremely serious,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer told public broadcaster SVT, noting that the government is in constant communication with the police.
The newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the local hospital had cleared its emergency and intensive care units in preparation for incoming casualties.
While school attacks are infrequent, there have been several grave incidents in schools in recent years.
In March 2022, an 18-year-old student stabbed two teachers to death at a high school in the southern city of Malmö.
Just two months prior, a 16-year-old was apprehended after injuring another student and a teacher with a knife at a school in the small town of Kristianstad.
In October 2015, three people were killed in a racially-motivated assault at a school in the western town of Trollhättan by an assailant wielding a sword, who was subsequently shot by police.
