Outside the premises, a single grave candle is burning. Inside, a small memorial has been set up. Several candles, a few photographs – one where the man is sitting smiling in front of a lot of cooked food. Both thumbs up. He was a well-liked cook and baker, says colleague Pierre Al-Aajj.
People came from all over. It was his thing, his talent. His pies were famous, spinach and meat pies.
Often on Tiktok
It has become quiet at Pita Gourmet where the 48-year-old worked. He used to fill the bakery with song and a voice that echoed between the walls. Often, the mobile phone was on and broadcast live on Tiktok.
He has a special place for his phone, which he twists so that you can see what he's doing. He has as many followers as he wants. He gets a lot of people to come to the bakery from Västerås, Köping, Laxå, says Pierre Al-Aajj.
It's been almost a week since the shooting at Risbergska, where ten people were shot to death by an identified perpetrator, who was also found dead on the scene. Pierre Al-Aajj still talks about his friend and colleague in the present tense, even though they early on suspected that he was one of the victims.
Memorial is arranged
He had, as usual, come in in the morning of February 4, baked and sung. Then he went to Risbergska where he studied Swedish.
Pierre Al-Aajj says that his colleague was not one to take a step back if he discovered that things weren't right.
He's a happy person and helpful. Curious about everything, he wants to get involved in everything. If he sees something that's wrong, he tries to correct it, he says.
A floor above the bakery, there is a party venue. In three days, it will now become a place of mourning, where friends, relatives, and customers can gather to remember and express their condolences.
Pierre Al-Aajj also describes a person who has struggled. Struggled to learn the language. Struggled to get his wife from Lebanon. Now he has finished struggling.
It's tragic, it's sick. It can't be described. Society is getting worse and worse, says Pierre Al-Aajj.
