School shooter left chilling message for mum about his cat before killing 10
Artur A, 21, asked for his mother's forgiveness for 'what I'm about to do' before he went on to kill 10 people in a school shooting in the Austria city of Graz
The Austrian school massacre gunman begged his mum to take care of his cat in a video message before he killed 10 people. Artur A, 21, was pictured for the first time yesterday – holding the pet – as it emerged he asked for his mother's forgiveness for 'what I'm about to do'.
By the time she saw the video, he had already carried out Tuesday's rampage at his former school in Graz. A non-functional pipe bomb and a note were uncovered by police at his home. Pals suggested the attack could be an act of revenge after he failed the sixth- form exam and quit school. In the 'farewell letter', he reportedly said he had felt bullied.
The killer was armed with a legally-owned Glock pistol and a shotgun when he stormed BORG Dreierschützengasse high school. He killed a female teacher, 59, and nine pupils aged 14 to 17 before taking his own life in a toilet, local media reported.
Lea Bajrami, 15, originally from Kosovo, was among the dead in the worst massacre in Austria's recent history. Her aunt Muhabi posted a picture of her and wrote: 'With a broken heart and great pain, we inform family, friends that our niece, Lea Ilir Bajrami tragically lost her life in the attack in Graz, Austria.
'We pray for her soul and express our gratitude to all those who share our pain in these difficult times.' Lea was one of six girls killed alongside three boys in the bloodbath in two classrooms in south-east Austria.
Hana Akmadzicis, 15, was the second victim to be named. Her uncle Ilhad said: 'She was my child, not just my niece. A flower of paradise. I can't believe she's gone.'
The gunman was not known to police, and a motive is yet to be confirmed. Shocking footage showed pupils fleeing the scene as heavily armed police entered the 400-pupil school and helped evacuate students from the building.
Officials said 28 people were injured, 12 of them seriously, with two said to be critical. One was reportedly shot in the head. A minute's silence was held yesterday at the start of three days of national mourning.
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The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
When it comes to reporting on mass killings, some in Europe take a different approach from Americans
When a 21-year-old former student opened fire inside his school in Austria's second-biggest city earlier this week, killing 10 people, it didn't take long for the Alpine country's press council to call on journalists to show restraint when reporting about the victims and their families. The appeal essentially reminded journalists covering the school shooting — the deadliest attack in Austria's post-war history -- to refrain from publishing names and other details about the victims. Police also didn't release any details about the victims other than their age, gender and nationality, in line with the country's strict privacy rules. Austria 's press council aims to uphold ethic standards during violent news events The press council, a voluntary self-regulatory body for Austrian media that aims to uphold ethical principles and standards of journalism, argues that journalistic restraint is needed during breaking news about attacks because the publication of the victims' personal details or pictures could cause additional trauma for the families. 'You should always think twice and three times about whether this could also be a burden," Alexander Warzilek, the managing director of the Austrian Press Council, told the Austria Press Agency, even as he acknowledged that 'there is a great need for information.' The Austrian Press Council also reminded reporters to adhere to its media code which specifically states that 'in the case of children, the protection of privacy must take precedence over news value.' Protection of victims and news consumers trumps media ratings In addition to protecting those affected by the tragedy, there's also concern about those who consume news about horrific events, especially children, says Claudia Paganini, an expert of media ethics at Austria's University of Innsbruck. In the school shooting Tuesday morning at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, nine students were killed — six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 — as well as a teacher, police said. Another 11 people were wounded — some of them also minors. The attacker killed himself in a bathroom of his former school. Paganini said consuming news about violent attacks can cause trauma and emotional overload for individuals as well as the brutalization of society in the long run. 'As opposed to the United States, where news are seen as a product and reporters are pushed to get all the details in order to raise the visibility of their news organization, journalism in northern Europe is seen as a service to society and to democracy that comes along with a lot of responsibility,' Paganini said. In the U.S., reporting on victims is a way to put a face on the tragedy In the United States, where news organizations have more experience dealing with mass shootings, reporting on victims is fairly standard and becomes an important vehicle to put a human face on the tragedy, said Josh Hoffner, director of U.S. news for The Associated Press. 'Many families are open to having those stories out there to celebrate the legacies of their loved ones and call attention to the failures that lead to shootings,' he said. Some news organizations make it a point to minimize the names of the alleged perpetrator of such crimes. There have been public campaigns to encourage journalists to focus on victims, survivors and heroes instead of the people who commit the crimes, said Amanda Crawford, a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut who is writing a book on media coverage of mass shootings. Whenever there is a mass shooting, a team at CNN is assigned right away to learn as much about the victims as possible, said Matthew Hilk, senior vice president for national news at CNN. They are important voices that help viewers understand the gravity of the situation, he said. Often, survivors and their families also become active politically in lobbying for gun control legislation or other measures to curb these crimes. 'We always approach victims and survivors, and people connected to victims and survivors, with extreme sensitivity and certainly never push anyone to discuss anything they don't want to discuss,' Hilk said. Reporters who break the press code are shunned by their colleagues Of course, not all reporters in Austria and elsewhere in Europe abide by the voluntary press code to stay away from victims. Those who break the code — especially those from tabloid newspapers — are often shunned by media colleagues. There's even a German term to describe reporters who ruthlessly try to interview those affected by tragedy. It's called 'Witwenschütteln,' or 'shaking widows,' which in journalistic jargon means pressurizing the families of victims until they give up quotes. Germany and Sweden also expect ethical responsibility from journalists The call for responsible reporting in the face of tragedy and the plea to withhold information that may interest readers isn't unique to Austria. Publishing intimate information about victims is also considered unethical in neighboring Germany. When a German co-pilot intentionally crashed a plane flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf into the Alps ten years ago, killing all 150 people on board, the German Press Council received 430 complaints by readers and viewers who criticized the fact that the victims' and their families' rights to anonymity had been violated. The press council reprimanded several media outlets based on the complaints. That usually means that the reprimand must be published in the publication concerned. When 10 people were killed at an adult education center in Orebro in Sweden in February, in what is considered the Scandinavian country's worst mass shooting, the country's Professional Ethics Committee of the Union of Journalists, or YEN, specifically called out a reporter at Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet for interviewing a relative of the perpetrator after receiving several complaints about that report. The right to anonymity also applies to attackers The right to anonymity also applies to the perpetrator in Austria as well as Germany and Sweden. When asked at a press conference Thursday why police did not publish a picture or release the name of the 21-year-old Austrian perpetrator from Graz who committed suicide right after his shooting rampage, the head of the Styrian State Office of Criminal Investigation, Michael Lohnegger replied that 'we are not allowed to.' He added that 'if we publish photographs, it is for search purposes. There is no reason for a manhunt here. Therefore, as an investigating authority, we have no basis for publishing personal data or photographs." Lessons learned from the Nazi past In addition to the belief that the protection of those affected by a tragedy should be more important than the right to information, Paganini said there's also a historical reason for shying away from any abuse of journalistic powers. 'Especially Germans and Austrians still remember how irresponsibility and propaganda by the media during the Nazi times led to the brutalization of civil society,' she said.
North Wales Chronicle
9 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
King expresses sympathy for Austria in wake of ‘horrific' school shooting
Charles described how the 'horrific attack' was all the more dreadful because 'schools should be places of sanctuary and learning'. Ten people were killed in the shooting at the Borg Dreierschutzengasse secondary school on Tuesday, which ended with the gunman taking his own life. The King's message to the people of Austria following the school shooting in Graz. — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 12, 2025 Austria has declared three days of national mourning following what appears to be the deadliest attack in its post-Second World War history. Charles wrote: 'My wife and I were deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the appallingly tragic events at the Dreierschutzengasse school in Graz. 'Schools should be places of sanctuary and learning, which makes this horrific attack on students and staff all the more dreadful.' He added: 'Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those affected by this terrible loss of life and injury. 'We send our deepest sympathy to all Austrians at this profoundly distressing time.' Police said they found a farewell letter and a non-functional pipe bomb when they searched the home of the gunman. The 21-year-old Austrian man lived near Graz and was a former student at the school who had not completed his studies.
Leader Live
10 hours ago
- Leader Live
King expresses sympathy for Austria in wake of ‘horrific' school shooting
Charles described how the 'horrific attack' was all the more dreadful because 'schools should be places of sanctuary and learning'. Ten people were killed in the shooting at the Borg Dreierschutzengasse secondary school on Tuesday, which ended with the gunman taking his own life. The King's message to the people of Austria following the school shooting in Graz. — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 12, 2025 Austria has declared three days of national mourning following what appears to be the deadliest attack in its post-Second World War history. Charles wrote: 'My wife and I were deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the appallingly tragic events at the Dreierschutzengasse school in Graz. 'Schools should be places of sanctuary and learning, which makes this horrific attack on students and staff all the more dreadful.' He added: 'Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those affected by this terrible loss of life and injury. 'We send our deepest sympathy to all Austrians at this profoundly distressing time.' Police said they found a farewell letter and a non-functional pipe bomb when they searched the home of the gunman. The 21-year-old Austrian man lived near Graz and was a former student at the school who had not completed his studies.
