Elon Musk has been humbled by fact-checking users of his own social media platform X after trying to leverage the shocking school shooting in Sweden this week to drum up nationalist, conservative support.
Rickard Andersson, a 35-year-old Swede, is suspected of gunning down ten people at an adult education centre in Örebro before turning the gun on himself. Many more victims remain in hospital.
The horrific mass murder made headlines worldwide, while a torrent of European politicians took to Musk’s X platform condemning the attack and offering condolences to those affected.
Yet Musk thought it pertinent to share a post from well-known right-wing nationalist account Inevitable West, which baselessly claimed ‘no European politician has mentioned it’ and that the world’s media had remained ‘silent’ on the matter.
The post was promptly torn apart by other X users, using the platform’s ‘Community Notes’ feature to aptly point out the claims were simply untrue and link to several articles in the national and international press covering the attack in detail.
Musk’s misstep was just the latest of countless incidents in which the South African-born billionaire has delivered wildly inaccurate hot takes on topics about which he knows next to nothing while presenting himself as a defender of free speech.
The Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO has for months waged an overwhelming media blitz on X, throwing himself behind Trump’s campaign for the American presidency and dramatically amplifying nationalist, deeply conservative pro-Trump accounts.
The tactic worked, earning Musk – who was already one of the largest political donors to Trump’s 2024 campaign – his own seat in the White House as a special government employee and head of the so-called ‘Department for Government Efficiency’.
But many argue Musk has been unconstitutionally awarded outsized power to gut key government departments, while his status as a special employee subjects him to less stringent rules on ethics and financial disclosures than other officials.
Musk thought it pertinent to share a post from well known right-wing nationalist account Inevitable West, which baselessly claimed ‘no European politician has mentioned it’ and that the world’s media had remained ‘silent’ on the matter
Elon Musk arrives before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
Terrifying footage captured the moment the Swedish school shooter paced the corridors of the building before his deadly rampage
Mourners gather at the site to pay tribute to the victims on February 5, 2025 in Orebro, Sweden
The row over Musk’s ill-informed dispersal of misinformation around this week’s school shooting in Sweden came as the Swedish press released the first image of suspected shooter Rickard Andersson.
Andersson was born Jonas Simon, but he legally changed his name eight years ago – a move that took family members by surprise.
Meanwhile, relatives of Andersson speaking to Swedish press painted a picture of a troubled recluse who had lost contact with his family and friends.
The suspected mass murderer was described as a withdrawn loner who was unemployed and ‘having a hard time’.
Expressen also 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.
‘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.
‘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’.
Rickard Andersson, 35, is suspected of having carried out the mass murder at Campus Risbergska in Örebro
Andersson pictured in high school. He was described as a loner with an ‘extreme social phobia’
Police officers work at the scene of the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden
A team of armed cops conducted a raid on the suspect’s house yesterday afternoon.
Police refused to provide details of the raid to Swedish press, but TV4 claimed the shooter had no previous convictions and was not known to authorities.
He also possessed a firearms license.
Investigators said they were trying to discover a motive behind the shooting and were ‘trying to create a picture of whether more people are involved’.
Andersson is said to have grown up in Örebro with his parents and siblings in a ‘prosperous’ part of the city, and graduated high school with ‘mixed grades’.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the tragedy as the ‘worst mass shooting in Swedish history, adding: ‘We have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people.’
He later added: ‘My thoughts, the thoughts of all of Sweden, are now with first and foremost with those who are the direct victims of this heinous act. Your grief is our grief. We are with you.’
Carl Gustaf, the King of Sweden, also paid tribute to the victims in a statement from the Royal House.
‘With sadness and dismay, my family and I have received the information about the terrible atrocity in Örebro,’ the King wrote.
‘We send our condolences tonight to the families and friends of the deceased. Our thoughts at this time also go to the injured and their relatives, as well as to others affected.’
The King also thanked the staff who worked on the operation during and after the shooting.
‘My family and I would like to express our great appreciation for the police, rescue and medical personnel who worked intensively to save and protect human lives on this dark day.’
Emergency personnel gather after a shooting at Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden, 04 February 2025. According to police, five people were shot at the school
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
The president of the European Commission said her thoughts were with the victims of Tuesday’s attack in Sweden.
Posting on X, Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday’s events were ‘truly horrifying’.
‘Such violence and terror have no place in our societies – least of all in schools. In this dark hour, we stand with the people of Sweden.’
Gunnar Strommer, the justice minister, also said it was difficult to take in the magnitude of what happened at the school.
‘We know that [11] people have been killed and many others are injured,’ he said.
‘Our police and healthcare workers are taking care of these people.
‘The primary suspect is now considered to be one of the people that died. It was a person not known to the police previously.
‘We still don’t know why this happened or what the motives could have been. We hope to have those answers.’