Gardaí have been asked by police in Sweden to investigate potential Irish links to the country’s deadliest mass shooting.
Rickard Andersson (35) murdered 10 people and injured six more in the attack at an adult education institute in the city of Örebro on February 4th before taking his own life.
Since the attack, Swedish police have been attempting to determine a motive for the attack. All of those killed were from a migrant background.
Authorities are trying to determine how Andersson purchased the three legally held weapons used in the attack. Records show he had no declared income other than social welfare in the previous nine years.
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Last Wednesday, Swedish investigators issued a “mutual legal assistance” request to the Department of Justice in Dublin seeking help in investigating Andersson’s suspected Irish connections.
The heavily redacted document, seen by The Irish Times, suggests police believe the Garda can assist with determining who Andersson was in contact with before the shooting, specifically between January 2023 and October 2024. Swedish police are particularly interested in financial transactions made through Ireland during this period. They have requested information in relation to several accounts.
“The matter is urgent since it concerns the investigation of a very serious and in the public highly noticed crime, which is of the greatest importance to be able to proceed with as soon as possible,” Swedish prosecutor Per-Erik Rinsell told the Department of Justice in Dublin.
“The police has a preliminary investigation and one of the things that the police is trying to exclude is accomplices. Therefore, it is important to find out if he has been in contact with any other person in any way.”
In a partially redacted section, it said certain financial transactions linked to Ireland “can provide information about how Andersson has moved according to who he has contact with ...”
The document names Hanna Pesonen, a financial investigator with the Swedish police, as a party to the investigation.
It is understood Ireland is the only country Sweden has requested assistance from in the investigation.
On receipt of the request, the Department of Justice tasked the Garda with conducting inquiries. Sources said gardaí have found no record of Andersson living in Ireland or visiting here.
However, they have been able to assist their Swedish counterparts with certain financial records, it is understood.
Much remains unknown about Andersson’s background. Swedish media reported that relatives described him as a “loner” with mental health issues. He was judged unsuitable for Swedish military service due to his poor school record.
[ Sweden plans to tighten gun laws in wake of Örebro mass shootingOpens in new window ]
He grew up in Örebro and had previously been a student at the school where the attack occurred before dropping out in 2021.
Police said he had no previous convictions and had a licence for four hunting rifles. Before the shooting, he purchased a large amount of ammunition and four smoke grenades, which he used in the attack.
A Department of Justice spokesman said it does not comment on individual cases.
