Sweden shooting victim Bassam Al Sheleh posted a video wishing all a good day – that afternoon he was dead
Swedish media reports the father-of-two was among seven women and three men police confirmed were killed in Örebro massacre
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Another Syrian refugee who fled the war has become the second of the 10 victims of Sweden’s worst ever mass shooting to be named.
Father-of-two Bassam Al Sheleh, 48, posted a video wishing everyone a good day on social media the day he was gunned down at his school, according to Swedish media outlet Expressen.
The shooter killed seven women and three men, aged between 28 and 68, in a rampage at Risbergska School on Tuesday, police confirmed on Friday, before the gunman is believed to have shot himself.
Authorities described an “inferno” with “dead people and injured people, screams and smoke” when they arrived on the scene in the city of Örebro, five minutes after an emergency call.
Rickard Andersson, the 35-year-old suspect named by Swedish media and a police source, has been described as a recluse who had little contact with the outside world.
Swedish police have yet to share a motive for the killings but confirmed to The Independent on Thursday that they are not ruling out the possibility of a racist motivation behind the attack.
The force disclosed on Friday that all those who died were from Örebro County. It said in a statement that seven women – aged 32, 38, 46, 52, 54, 55 and 68 - were among those killed, as well as three men – aged 28, 31 and 48. Meanwhile, the fourth man who died, aged 35, is believed to be the gunman.
Police also said that the identities of those who died have now been confirmed, marking a “new phase” of investigations, although their names are yet to be officially announced.
Both Syrian and Bosnian authorities previously revealed that their citizens were among those killed, and 28-year-old Syrian refugee Salim Iskef was the first victim to be identified in the media as one of the dead.
Now, another Syrian refugee, baker and cook Bassam Al Sheleh, 48, has been named in Swedish media.
Investigators said on Thursday that the victims hail from “different nationalities, different genders and different ages”. The Risbergska adult education centre offers adult courses and Swedish language classes for immigrants.
Here’s everything we know about the victims of the Sweden school shooting.
Bassam Al Sheleh – ‘joy maker’, father and baker
According to Swedish media, Bassam Al Sheleh fled Syria for Sweden in the hope of a safer life.
The father-of-two, who was a baker and a chef, worked in a bakery early in the mornings and late in the evenings some days during the week, while he would spend the day at the school studying Swedish.
The 48-year-old’s shocked colleague Pierre Al-hajj told Swedish publication Expressen that Mr Al Sheleh “had plans for the future” and was a “joy maker”.
Mr Al-hajj described him as “talented” and a “really nice person” to STV.
Bread Mr Al Sheleh had baked remains on the counter, while his apron is still hanging up.
His colleagues told the newspaper of how he would frequently post on his TikTok account, often greetings, or showing his baking or cooking.
One friend spoke of how he had posted a video wishing everyone a good day shortly before the mass shooting.
She said: “He always had a smile on his face and spread joy around him.”
She also described how he would sometimes sing on his way into school. On the day of the attack, it was snowing, and he sang a beautiful song in Arabic about the snow, she told Expressen.
She added: “He was a very driven person. He has been working since day one after he came to Sweden.”
Salim Iskef – ‘kind’ soon-to-be-married Syrian refugee
Salim Iskef, 28, was the first victim of the horror shooting to be named.
The 28-year-old, one of about 5,000 Christian Assyrians in Orebro, fled the Islamic State and Syria 10 years ago to form a better, more secure life in Sweden, only to be gunned down this week in the worst mass-shooting in Swedish history.
After Mr Iskef was shot, he phoned his fiancee, who he was due to marry in June, as well as his mother to tell them both that he loved them as battled with his wounds. That was the last they heard from him.
"His fiancee is totally destroyed," Jacob Kaselia, a friend of the family and priest at St Mary's church in Orebro, told Reuters after leading a memorial service for Mr Iskef in front of about 400 people on Thursday. "We try to help her, but honestly, it's very hard."
Mr Iskef, an Orthodox Christian, was due to get married in the summer and had recently bought a house with his fiancee. He became a citizen and trained in healthcare, working in elderly care alongside his studies.
“He was a very kind person. He had no problems with anyone. He just wanted to finish his studies. And now he’s gone... I can’t believe it. Is this for real?” his grieving aunt Nadia Deeb told Alkompis.
"He had so many beautiful plans and so many beautiful dreams," Mr Kaselia said. "All gone in a second."
“There are only three of his in the family since the father died. Now we have lost Salim too. He was our light,” his aunt added.
Merwa, who was a close friend of Mr Iskef and went to school with him every day, was shot at by the gunman. She was unharmed and used her friend's scarf to try to stop the bleeding of a man who was shot in front of her.
"We're still in shock. We didn't think this could happen in Sweden, and especially in school," she said, adding it is unlikely that she will go back to school. "I really don't think so.”
One Bosnian among the dead
The Bosnian foreign ministry announced on X on Thursday that one of its citizens was among the dead.
Another citizen was wounded in the attack, the foreign ministry was told by its embassy in Sweden - who had been contacted by the families of the victims.
The embassy added that it is in “constant contact” with Swedish authorities considering the “large BiH [Bosnia and Herzegovina] community in this city”.
It expressed its “deepest condolences” to the families of the attack.