• Swedish police are struggling to establish the motive of a gunman who killed 10 people at an adult education centre in Orebro.
• The gunman, identified as former student Rickard Andersson, died at the scene.
• Police action reportedly prevented a higher toll, with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson due to address the nation.

Swedish police said on Sunday they were struggling to establish the motive of a gunman who killed 10 people at an adult education centre in the country’s worst mass shooting.

Police confirmed the gunman was a former student at Campus Risbergska in the central city of Orebro. A top officer also said police action had prevented an even higher toll.

Police have not identified the gunman, who died at the centre.

But media have named him as 35-year-old Rickard Andersson, who had reportedly been living as an unemployed recluse and had psychological problems.

Rickard Andersson has been named as the gunman behind the school shooting in Orebro, Sweden, on February 5. Photo / Getty Images

Orebro police commander Henrik Dahlstrom acknowledged it was still not known what had sparked the killing spree on Tuesday.

“Through the work of the investigation carried out, we cannot for the moment establish that a clear motive exists,” Dahlstrom said. “We are working to see if there is one and what it could be”.

But he said the toll could have been higher.

People gather for a vigil for the shooting victims at Campus Risbergska in Orebro, Sweden. Photo / AFP

“I am convinced that our action influenced the course of events, halting the mortal violence,” Dahlstrom said.

Police have previously said they faced “an inferno” when officers went to the education centre under attack.

The gunman killed seven women and three men aged 28 to 68. All lived in Orebro, but various nationalities were involved.

The Syrian Embassy in Stockholm expressed condolences to two Syrian families, without giving details. The Bosnian Foreign Ministry said a Bosnian citizen was among the dead and another was wounded.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was due to speak to the nation about the shooting crisis on Sunday evening.

– Agence France-Presse