Austrian school shooter planned attack but motive still unclear, officials say
However, he appears to have shot his victims at random, and investigators have still not been able to ascertain his motive.
A police officer guards the entrance of a school where a former student opened fire (Darko Bandic/AP)
The 21-year-old had left the BORG Dreierschutzengasse high school in Graz three years previously, breaking off his studies after attending for three years, police say.
They said they knew of no personal connection between the gunman and the students he had shot, but that one of the two teachers he shot had once taught him.
Officials were still investigating whether that was a factor in the attack.
The incident prompted Austria to declare three days of national mourning and large numbers of candles have been laid in Graz's main square and outside the school.
The assailant, an Austrian man who lived with his mother near Graz and whom officials have declined to identify, used a Mercury double-barrelled shotgun and a Glock 19 handgun in the shooting.
People commemorate the victims of a shooting at a school (Darko Bandic/AP)
Michael Lohnegger, the head of Styria province's criminal police office, said that he arrived at the school on Tuesday morning with a backpack containing the weapons, and put on equipment including shooting glasses and a headset in the bathroom before starting a roughly seven-minute shooting spree.
The gunman opened fire indiscriminately on the building's third floor before shooting open the locked door of a fourth-floor classroom and again firing indiscriminately, Mr Lohnegger told a news conference.
Mr Lohnegger said that the gunman had enough ammunition to continue shooting and it was unclear why he had not.
The gunman then returned to the bathroom and fatally shot himself in the head.
A search of his home uncovered a farewell letter and a video, which Mr Lohnegger said added up to 'an apology directed to his family for the crime and a general thank you', but offered 'no indication for the motive'.
Investigators have yet to ascertain a motive for the shooting (Darko Bandic/AP)
Authorities also found a handwritten note that showed he had planned the attack 'down to the smallest detail', setting out how he would proceed but giving no date for the crime.
The note had suggested that he had lacked enough time to build a fully functional pipe bomb. Investigators had found one, but it would not have worked.
Mr Lohnegger said a picture had emerged of a 'very introverted person' who largely did not take part in real-world activities and that his great passion was playing online first-person shooter games.
'But even here, there is no information from his personal surroundings that he ever expressed any anger or resentment towards the school, students or teachers,' he added.
The man had no previous police record and 'there were definitely no particular problems with him at this school'.
The gunman was in unspecified vocational training at the time of the attack, investigators added.
Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen attends a wreath-laying ceremony after a former student opened fire, killing 10 people and injuring many others before taking his own life (Darko Bandic/AP)
He had bought the shotgun legally in Graz in early April and the handgun was bought from another shop in the city in late May.
He had a licence to own the weapons that required a report from a psychological expert, which was allegedly produced in March.
The gunman also took part in shooting practice five times in March at a shooting club in Graz using a hired firearm, Mr Lohnegger said.
Six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 and a teacher were killed in the attack.
Eleven people were wounded and authorities said that their lives were not in danger.
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Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Classroom killer's final photos: Cat-obsessed gunman posted photograph of his FEET inside school bathroom cubicle moments before killing ten - and also took pictures of weapons he used
The Austrian shooter who killed 10 people at his former school before turning the gun on himself earlier this week shared pictures of his preparation and the weapons he used in the assault to social media, it has emerged. Arthur A., a 21-year-old avid gamer and cat lover, launched his attack at the BORG Dreierschutzengasse high school in Graz, a city in the southern state of Styria, on Tuesday. The shooter shared an image of his own feet clad in black leather combat boots while sitting in a toilet cubicle on the third floor of the school. There he strapped on a gun belt with a hunting knife, shooting glasses and a headset, loaded his weapons and stormed into the hallways to carry out the massacre that was later confirmed as Austria's worst mass shooting. In two other posts, the young killer snapped a selfie and showed off a shotgun and a pistol he had bought along with the caption: 'Veeeeeerrry early birthday present for myself', according to Austrian media. He went on to use both weapons in the course of his rampage. The images of the killer were brought to light after it emerged the social recluse had sent his mother a farewell video moments before he carried out his attack, pleading for forgiveness for 'what I'm about to do now'. Investigators said his mother opened the video 24 minutes after receiving it and immediately notified police, but her son had already slaughtered 10 students and shot himself before armed cops descended on the scene. Arthur A. also requested that his cat be looked after following his demise and said that bullying at school had caused him to drop out early and led him to commit the heinous crime. The young killer showed off a shotgun and a pistol he had bought along with the caption: 'Veeeeeerrry early birthday present for myself'. Both were used in the shooting 'A farewell letter in analogue and digital form was found,' Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's interior ministry, told ORF public television following the shooting. 'He says goodbye to his parents. But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter, and that is a matter for further investigations.' Asked whether the assailant had attacked victims randomly or targeted them specifically, Ruf said that is also under investigation and he didn't want to speculate. He said that wounded people were found on various levels of the school and, in one case, in front of the building. The student victims were aged between 14 and 17. A teacher was also killed. In new details, investigators said the gunman, who would have turned 22 in less than two weeks, had maintained contact with only one friend in the days leading up to the attack. 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Pictured: Special forces descended on the high school shortly before 10am local time after reports of gunshots A 15-year-old Kosovan girl named Lea was the first victim to be pictured Pictured: Two female students cling on to each other as they escape the school building People embrace as they gather on the main square following a deadly school shooting in Graz, Austria, June 10, 2025 Family members reunite following the deadly school shooting in Graz, Austria The school's religious studies teacher Paul Nitsche told how he saw the gunman blasting out locks with a shotgun before entering and spraying staff and students with handgun bullets. 'It was hard to take in,' he said. 'This is something I had never even imagined before. That's what the situation was like as I was running down the stairwell - I thought to myself, this isn't real.' Another teacher, who asked not to be named, said: 'The whole community is in a state of shock. Schools should be places of safety and learning. 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Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Austria school shooter posted twisted photo of himself minutes before massacre
Gunman Artur A showed himself in the toilet of Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, dressed in black jump boots and black army style trousers - minutes before his deadly seven-minute attack The Austria school massacre gunman posted sick images of himself just minutes before he slaughtered nine pupils and a teacher. Artur A photographed himself in the toilet of Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz minutes before Tuesday's seven-minute attack. The image shows him, dressed in black jump boots and black army style trousers, hiding in a cubicle as he gets ready for his murder mission, taking an image from his lap. He posted the photo on X; he also left a video message for his mother, and a suicide note. It was published at 9.43am on Tuesday, just five minutes before he entered two classrooms to murder nine boys and girls, and one teacher. He also posted an image of his weapons, a Mercury double-barrelled shotgun and a Glock 19 handgun, with the sick message: "Veeeeerrry early birthday present for myself." His social media profiles also mention the Columbine school massacre in the US with an image of the killer and a message, again in English, stating: "They look like Monsters to you?" The posts emerged as police built up a profile of the killer, a loner who was obsessed with online gaming. They revealed that he had few friends and spent most of his free time playing Call of Duty or Valorant as an 'on-line shooter'. He had been obsessed with Columbine and other US school massacres. One of his followers posted the message 'my hero' beneath one reference to Columbine, which resulted in 14 deaths in 1999. It was carried out by gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who also took their own lives after the shooting. Artur posted images of the guns on the platform Tumblr days before the Fraz attack. He was due to turn 22 in a matter of weeks. He carried out the massacre in just seven minutes, police revealed. He shot through a classroom door after terrified pupils had barricaded themselves inside as he carried out his murder mission. The first police response team arrived within six minutes of the alarm being raised at 10am on Tuesday. Elite Cobra anti terror officers entered the building after 17 minutes. But it was too late. They found only bodies, horrified survivors and multiple casualties. Artur, who said he was bullied at the school, had been planning his rampage for months. He fired indiscriminately, killing the child of one of his neighbours in the bloodshed. He had made plans for a bomb attack found alongside a 'non functional' pipe device at his home. Artur A did not know the pupils he killed but one of the two teachers he shot had once taught him. He had also been to a local firing range in the weeks leading up to the attack and was armed with a Mercury double-barrelled shotgun and a Glock 19 handgun in the shooting. Michael Lohnegger, the head of Styria province's criminal police office, said that he had a backpack containing the weapons. He put on equipment including shooting glasses and a headset in the bathroom before starting the seven-minute shooting spree. He opened fire on the building's third floor before shooting open the locked door of a fourth-floor classroom. Once inside, he again fired indiscriminately. He had enough ammunition to continue shooting but instead went to a bathroom and fatally shot himself in the head. He left a farewell letter and video, "an apology for the crime and a thank you" to his mum, but offered "no motive". Authorities also found a handwritten note that showed he had planned the attack "down to the smallest detail". 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Six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 and a female teacher, 57, were killed in the attack. The 11 injured, aged between 15 and 26, are not in a critical condition. Artur, who has not been officially named, was born in Styria, the region which includes Graz, Austria's second biggest city. He lived with his single mum, who was also Austrian. His dad, of Armenian origin, had not lived with them since his parents' separation. Hundreds of people will be interviewed by police and the attack may be reconstructed. The quick response time on Tuesday "appeared to have saved lives". President Alexander van der Bellen suggested Austria's gun laws could be changed in the wake of the attack. "If we come to the conclusion that the gun law needs to be changed, then we will do so," he said. Relatives of the victims and school pupils are being cared for at a crisis intervention centre set up across the road from the school.
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I delved into world of ‘righteous slaughter' school shooters & chilling psychological cocktail that drives them to kill
Experts reveal the reasons behind the chilling global rise in school shootings MASSACRE MONSTERS I delved into world of 'righteous slaughter' school shooters & chilling psychological cocktail that drives them to kill Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PICTURED staring intensely into the camera lens while cuddling his beloved cat, he looks just like any other young teen. But between dropping out of sixth form and turning 21, something dark grew in the mind of student Artur A - the man responsible for a shooting spree at his old school in Austria. 17 Artur A killed 10 in a rampage in his school in Graz, Austria 17 Lea Ilir Bajrami, 15, tragically lost her life in the attack in Graz Credit: Facebook 17 Emergency workers bring victims out of the school building Credit: AP On Tuesday, that festering resentment saw him walk into two classrooms at BORG Dreirschutzengasse high school in Graz and open fire with a Glock pistol and a shotgun. Today 10 families are mourning his victims, mostly teenagers who had their whole lives ahead of them before they were gunned down in cold blood. Lea Ilir Bajrami and Hana Akmadžićis, both 15, were among the six girls and three boys between 14 and 17 to be killed along with a 59-year-old teacher. Yet those grieving might never know the exact reason why their loved ones were murdered. School shootings are on the rise globally. In America, there were 83 school shootings last year compared to 36 in 2014. While shootings remain rare in Europe, analysis by The Sun shows 83 people have been shot dead in classrooms across the continent since Britain's worst atrocity at Dunblane Primary School in 1996. Thirty four of the victims were killed in the last two years following three major attacks, including this week's. The lone-wolf nature of perpetrators means there are often no warning bells. Eminent criminologist Professor David Wilson told The Sun: 'The motivation can be a desire for notoriety, for revenge or perhaps because the perpetrator has been radicalised in some way. Austria school shooter who killed 10 pupils revealed after leaving mum final video message "School shooters are often isolated from their peer groups, from the community in which they live and often have troubled relationships with their immediate family. Some will have a personality disorder or other underlying mental health issues. "The 64,000 dollar question is whether it's nature or nurture. For me, it is a messy combination of the two.' 'Justified' in killing Artur A, who killed himself in the school's toilets, is said to have been badly bullied by fellow pupils before leaving sixth form without qualifications. He was only known to police as a victim of pick-pocketing. In a 'farewell letter', he reportedly said goodbye to his parents and framed himself as the victim of bullying, reports Krone. He is also said to have recorded a video and sent it to his mum, speaking about the imminent atrocity, saying he was acting 'of his own free will' and asked her to look after his cat. 17 Hundreds of candles were lit in the main square of Graz Credit: AP 17 Mourners pay their respects at the makeshift shrine Credit: AFP Police later discovered a disassembled pipe bomb at his home. Professor Wilson says shooters often convince themselves that killing others is somehow justified. He said: 'There's very often a sense of righteous slaughter, they feel somehow justified in doing what they have done because they feel entitled to behave that way. 'There's a cocktail of factors unique to each shooter that prompts them to do what they do, but the key message is that these incidents only happen in countries which have liberal gun laws.' 17 The school where Artur A claimed 10 lives Credit: AFP 17 Police block the entrance to the school Credit: AFP Handguns were banned in Britain following the Dunblane massacre in 1996 when killer Thomas Hamilton stormed into a primary school, killing 16 children and their teacher. Hamilton, 43, opened fire on a class of 29 five and six-year-olds before turning the gun on himself after becoming obsessed with revenge over rumours spread locally that he was a pervert. Professor Wilson said: 'Hamilton was a very different type of shooter in that he hadn't gone to the school but wanted to take revenge on a community.' Columbine massacre Analysis shows that bullying is a huge driver in school killings. A study by the US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Centre reveals that seven in 10 classroom shooters are under the age of 18. It analyzed the behaviour of 35 attackers and found 80 per cent had been bullied by classmates with more than half the bullying lasting for weeks, months or years. America's most infamous school shooting was Columbine in Colorado in 1999 when 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 13 students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Both killers bore a grudge after being bullied and excluded from the cliques at high school, with Harris writing in his journal, "I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things" and Klebold writing "The lonely man strikes with absolute rage." The deadliest came in 2007 when student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 and wounded 17 others with two semi-automatic pistols at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Cho, 23, was diagnosed with selective mutism and depression. A judge had previously declared him mentally ill and ordered him to attend treatment after he stalked two female students. Yet, he was allowed to buy weapons because he had not been institutionalised. Five years later, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot dead 20 children aged between six and seven and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The US has seen a tenfold rise in incidents involving guns in schools over the last 25 years, from 31 in 2000 to 332 last year. Nine of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in the US occurred after 2007. 17 Students are overcome with grief at a shrine to Columbine victims Credit: AP:Associated Press 17 Dylan Klebold opened fire on classmates after being bullied Credit: Reuters 17 Eric Harris wrote a chilling note in his journal Credit: Reuters Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute, says a rise in 'life stressors' such as hardships related to finances, employment, family and relationships drove some to 'act out or respond violently'. She added that "toxic masculinity" has contributed to the steep increase. "If we are trying to understand the root causes of gun violence, we need to start by understanding why people pick up firearms in the first place to inflict harm, regardless of the target of that harm," she said. Robin a psychology professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, studied shootings in school and colleges and found that the majority of perpetrators are white with a median age of 15, feel marginalised or bullied and use the events to take their own lives. She says they are likely to have a history of psychological problems, suffer long-term or acute rejection, such as a break-up, and often have a fascination with guns and violence. 'The individuals behind the Sandy Hook and Columbine shootings, among others, had been diagnosed with an assortment of psychological conditions,' Kowalski wrote for the Brookings Institution. 17 Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui shot 32 people in the deadliest US attack Credit: NBC 17 Students, family and supporters attend a silent vigil in honour of the 32 victims Credit: Alamy Death toll rising While school shootings are still unusual in Europe, the death toll is high. In May 2023, 13-year-old Kosta Kecmanovic gunned down eight of his fellow pupils and a security guard at his school in Belgrade after drawing up a 'hit list'. In a chilling postscript, Serbian police arrested ten teenagers in the week after the massacre after they posted plans for similar attacks on fellow pupils. Months later in the Czech Republic, postgraduate student David Kozak murdered 14 at Charles University in central Prague. He had previously dropped out of education. Earlier this year, Sweden suffered a tragedy when a gunman opened fire at an adult education centre, killing 10 students before turning the gun on himself. Shooter Rickard Andersson, 35, was a society drop out who had previously applied for a maths course at the centre before leaving the course in 2021. 17 Teachers comfort a student after the Serbian shooting in 2023 claimed nine lives Credit: EPA 17 Belgrade police block the street to the school Credit: AP 17 David Kosak opened fire at his Prague university Credit: czech police While there is no comparison data with America, research by the Rockefeller Institute of Government shows the US had suffered 'more public mass shootings' than countries with similar levels of economic development. According to their study, 109 shootings were recorded in the US between 2020 and 2022, compared to six in France, five in Germany, three in Finland and two in the UK, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden during the same period. These figures reflect the severity of gun laws in different countries. According to the Small Arms Survey, there are an estimated 120.5 civilian firearms per 100 people in America. In contrast, the figure is 4.6 in England and Wales, 19.6 in France and Germany, 30 in Austria and 391 in Serbia. 17 Distraught mourners in Sweden, where a gunman opened fire at an adult education centre Credit: Getty
