German and Austrian ministers break off a planned Syria trip because of a possible threat
BERLIN — The German and Austrian interior ministers broke off a planned trip to Syria on Thursday because of a possible threat to their delegation, German authorities said.
Germany's Nancy Faeser had planned to visit Damascus with her Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner, and a German military plane was supposed to fly Faeser's delegation into Syria from Jordan on Thursday morning.
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Boston Globe
23 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Here's what we know about a school shooting in Austria
Here's what we know: Nine people were killed The shooter opened fire at a school in Graz, killing nine people and wounding at least 12 others before taking his own life, authorities said. Special forces were among those sent to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, about a kilometer (over half a mile) from Graz's historic center, after a call at 10 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., police wrote on social network X that the school had been evacuated and everyone had been taken to a safe meeting point. Advertisement Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-staff and a national minute of mourning at 10 a.m. Wednesday. 'A school is more than just a place of learning,' Stocker said. 'It is a space of trust, of security, of the future. The fact that this safe space was shattered by such an act of violence leaves us speechless.' Graz, Austria's second-biggest city, is located in the southeast of the country and has about 300,000 inhabitants. Gunman was a former student The gunman was a former student at the school who didn't finish his studies, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. His name has not been made public in line with Austrian privacy rules. Advertisement Authorities say he was a 21-year-old Austrian man who had two weapons, which he appeared to have owned legally. Police said they didn't immediately have information on the man's motive, but said he died by suicide in a toilet after the attack. Other major attacks in Austria Tuesday's violence appeared to be the deadliest attack in Austria's postwar history. Other attacks in the country include when four people were killed in Vienna in 2020 and the suspect, a sympathizer of the Islamic State group, also died in a shooting that stunned the Austrian capital. More than 20 other people, including a police officer, were wounded. In 2019, a 25-year-old man turned himself in to Austrian police after he killed his ex-girlfriend, her family and her new boyfriend in the Alpine resort town of Kitzbuehel. And almost exactly 10 years ago, on June 20, 2015, a man killed three people and injured more than 30 when he drove through a crowd in downtown Graz with an SUV. Gun culture in Austria Austria has some of the more liberal gun laws in the European Union. Traditionally, many in the Alpine country go hunting and it's more common to carry a weapon for that and less for self-defense. Some weapons, such as rifles and shotguns that must be reloaded manually after each shot, can be purchased in Austria from the age of 18 without a permit. Gun dealers only need to check if there's no weapons ban on the buyer, and the weapon is then added to the central weapons register. Other weapons, such as repeating shotguns or semi-automatic firearms, are more difficult to acquire — buyers need a gun ownership card and a firearms pass. Advertisement
Time Magazine
an hour ago
- Time Magazine
Why Austria Has Some of the Most Relaxed Gun Ownership Laws in Europe
A school shooting in Graz, Austria left at least nine people dead and 12 injured Tuesday, prompting renewed attention to the country's relatively permissive gun laws. The attack marks Austria's deadliest mass shooting in its postwar history and the first major incident of its kind since 2020. Authorities said the suspected gunman, who was found dead at the scene, used two firearms that were legally registered under a valid license. Local media has reported that the suspect was a former student, aged 22. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker gave his condolences to the families of the victims, calling the shooting a national tragedy and a 'dark day in [the] history of our country' in a press briefing Tuesday. The identities of the victims have not yet been released. The government has declared a three-day period of national mourning. A nationwide minute of silence is scheduled for 10 a.m. local time Wednesday. Here's what to know. Gun ownership rates Austria ranks among the highest in Europe for civilian gun ownership, with approximately 30 guns per 100 residents, according to the 2017 Small Arms Survey, a Geneva research group. While countries such as Cyprus, Finland, and Iceland report slightly higher rates, Austria remains an outlier in the continent. At a global level, Austria ranks 12th in the world for gun ownership, though significantly lagging behind the country with the highest rate: the United States. History of mass shootings in Austria The country has recorded two public mass shootings in the period between 2000 and 2022, according to research by the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The most recent incident occurred in November 2020, when a gunman killed four people and wounded 23 others. Last year, authorities said they thwarted a planned attack targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. By contrast, there were more than 500 mass shootings recorded in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines such incidents as those involving four or more people shot, either injured or killed, excluding the perpetrator. Who is allowed to possess and carry a firearm in Austria? Austria has some of the most liberal firearm regulations in Europe. Residents aged 18 or older are permitted to own a firearm, with some exceptions allowing 16-year-olds to acquire guns for hunting purposes. All firearms must be registered within six weeks of acquisition. To possess and carry handguns, repeating shotguns, or semi-automatic firearms—provided they are not classified as war material or prohibited weapons—individuals must obtain an official permit. Federal law prohibits people from possessing weapons or ammunition if they could endanger the 'life, health or freedom' of individuals or their property. Those considered legally 'unreliable' —including individuals with a history of alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness—are barred from owning and carrying firearms. The same applies to those who have been convicted of a criminal act involving the use or threat of violence. Authorities have an obligation to conduct an "assessment of reliability.' Federal law says that individuals who do not have a hunting license must 'provide an expert opinion stating whether they have a tendency to handle weapons carelessly or use them recklessly, particularly when under psychological stress.' Gun owners are required to carry their permit documents when carrying or transporting firearms. The Austrian government tightened its firearm regulations in 1997, in line with a European Council directive. Visitors from other European Union member states in possession of a firearm must bring a European firearms pass and a permit related to the specific weapon they are carrying, according to Austria's Federal Ministry. The country also has an existing ban on the import of weapons such as pump-action shotguns.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Here's what we know about a school shooting in Austria
GRAZ, Austria (AP) — A shooter opened fire inside a school in Austria's second-biggest city Tuesday, killing nine people, authorities said. At least 12 others were wounded in the attack, and the gunman later died by suicide in a bathroom in the school in Graz, officials said. Details about the suspect's motive, as well as information about the victims, were not immediately available. Here's what we know: Nine people were killed The shooter opened fire at a school in Graz, killing nine people and wounding at least 12 others before taking his own life, authorities said. Special forces were among those sent to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, about a kilometer (over half a mile) from Graz's historic center, after a call at 10 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., police wrote on social network X that the school had been evacuated and everyone had been taken to a safe meeting point. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-staff and a national minute of mourning at 10 a.m. Wednesday. 'A school is more than just a place of learning," Stocker said. 'It is a space of trust, of security, of the future. The fact that this safe space was shattered by such an act of violence leaves us speechless.' Graz, Austria's second-biggest city, is located in the southeast of the country and has about 300,000 inhabitants. Gunman was a former student The gunman was a former student at the school who didn't finish his studies, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. His name has not been made public in line with Austrian privacy rules. Authorities say he was a 21-year-old Austrian man who had two weapons, which he appeared to have owned legally. Police said they didn't immediately have information on the man's motive, but said he died by suicide in a toilet after the attack. Other major attacks in Austria Tuesday's violence appeared to be the deadliest attack in Austria's postwar history. Other attacks in the country include when four people were killed in Vienna in 2020 and the suspect, a sympathizer of the Islamic State group, also died in a shooting that stunned the Austrian capital. More than 20 other people, including a police officer, were wounded. In 2019, a 25-year-old man turned himself in to Austrian police after he killed his ex-girlfriend, her family and her new boyfriend in the Alpine resort town of Kitzbuehel. And almost exactly 10 years ago, on June 20, 2015, a man killed three people and injured more than 30 when he drove through a crowd in downtown Graz with an SUV. Gun culture in Austria Austria has some of the more liberal gun laws in the European Union. Traditionally, many in the Alpine country go hunting and it's more common to carry a weapon for that and less for self-defense. Some weapons, such as rifles and shotguns that must be reloaded manually after each shot, can be purchased in Austria from the age of 18 without a permit. Gun dealers only need to check if there's no weapons ban on the buyer, and the weapon is then added to the central weapons register.
