Austrian school shooter was 21-year-old lone gunman from the area
A lone gunman killed nine people and injured several others at an Austrian high school in the city of Graz, the country's second-largest city. Police say the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. NBC News' Matt Bodner reports on what we know about the perpetrator.
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NBC News
5 hours ago
- NBC News
Kaja Sokola, a former model from Poland, applauds Weinstein conviction
It wasn't exactly the verdict that Harvey Weinstein accuser Kaja Sokola had hoped for, but it was the verdict she said women determined to fight against sexual predators needed. A former runway model from Poland, Sokola was one of three women who accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting them more than a decade ago. On Wednesday, a Manhattan jury found Weinstein guilty of assaulting former 'Project Runway' production assistant Miriam Haley, but not her. And it deadlocked on a third-degree rape charge against Weinstein in the alleged sexual assault of former actress Jessica Mann. 'It's not ideal for me,' Sokola told NBC News shortly after the verdict was announced. 'But it doesn't change that much the most important thing, that he's convicted.' What does this mean for the #MeToo movement, which was galvanized in 2020 by Weinstein's landmark conviction for sexually abusing young women? 'I think it sends the message that we still have some work to do,' Sokola, 39, said. Sokola also said she does not want what happened to her in court to deter other sex assault victims from coming forward. 'There's no win or lose for me, I was not the one who was on the trial,' she said. 'So I would not want these kind of decisions to discourage others from speaking their truth or from participating in proceedings like this because we have one life to live, and if we won't fight for our own justice, then who will?' Sokola's attorney, Linsay Goldbrum,a partner at Goddard Law PLLC, said she and her client were prepared for this outcome. 'We are in a different culture than we were five years ago when this trial first happened,' she said. 'But as a former prosecutor, I knew from the beginning that it was going to be an uphill battle for the prosecutors to be able to establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt about a crime that occurred almost 20 years ago.' Sokola was not among the women who testified against Weinstein at his first trial, in which he was convicted of third-degree rape of Mann in 2013. He was also convicted of first-degree criminal sexual act for forcibly performing oral sex on Haley in 2006. The convictions were later overturned after an appeals court found that the judge in that trial had improperly allowed testimony against the former Miramax chief based on allegations that were not part of the case. Sokola was added to the case after she filed her own lawsuit against Weinstein in Dec. 2019 under New York's Child Victims Act. On the stand, Sokola told the court that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006 at a Manhattan hotel when she was 19 years old. But the alleged abuse first began in 2002, when she was 16, and Weinstein forced her to masturbate him, she said. 'I know what he did to me when I was 16, when I was 19 and nothing will change that,' Sokola told NBC News. Sokola's testimony may have been undermined by her estranged older sister, Ewa Sokola, who had been subpoenaed as a prosecution witness. She testified that Sokola seemed 'extremely tense' after a 2006 post-lunch meeting with Weinstein but did not say she had been assaulted. 'She was proud of knowing him,' Ewa Sokola testified. Asked about that testimony, Sokola said 'I don't have nothing to be ashamed of.' 'I think she does, or she should have,' Sokola said of her sister. Sokola said she's never spoken with Haley and talked to Mann just once about two years ago. Initially, Sokola was part of a group of women who filed a class-action lawsuit against Weinstein and his companies, alleging they had been sexually abused by the producer. At first, she hid her identity behind a pseudonym. Unhappy with a proposed deal under which almost all the civil cases against Weinstein would be settled for $47 million and the producer would not have to admit to wrongdoing, Sokola unmasked herself in Dec. 2019 when she filed her lawsuit. In the suit, Sokola said she was 16 in 2002 when she had just moved from Warsaw to New York City and was first introduced to Weinstein. She said that when he learned she wanted to become an actor, he told her he could help her career. Three days later, the complaint stated, Weinstein picked Sokola up for what was supposed to be a business lunch and instead took her his Manhattan apartment and demanded sex. When a weeping Sokola tried to resist, Weinstein told her he had 'made' the careers of the actors Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow and warned the teenager that she 'would never work as an actress unless she acquiesced to his demands,' according to the complaint. Sokola said at Weinstein's retrial that he demanded she masturbate him while he touched her. Sokola, 39, became one of three women who accused Weinstein of sex assault at his retrial after she told prosecutors the producer had also forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. That alleged assault mirrored the testimony of Haley, who accused Weinstein of doing the same to her in 2006 when she was looking for work in entertainment production. Weinstein, who was hit with an additional charge of first-degree criminal sexual act, denied assaulting Sokola. He also denied assaulting Mann and Haley. Weinstein spokesman, Juda Engelmayer, said 'we consider this a little bit of a victory' because the producer was acquitted on the Sokola charge. Three days later, the complaint stated, Weinstein picked Sokola up for what was supposed to be a business lunch and instead took her his Manhattan apartment and demanded sex. When a weeping Sokola tried to resist, Weinstein told her he had 'made' the careers of the actors Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow and warned the teenager that she 'would never work as an actress unless she acquiesced to his demands,' according to the complaint. Sokola said at Weinstein's retrial that he demanded she masturbate him while he touched her. Sokola, 39, became one of three women who accused Weinstein of sex assault at his retrial after she told prosecutors the producer had also forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. That alleged assault mirrored the testimony of Haley, who accused Weinstein of doing the same to her in 2006 when she was looking for work in entertainment production. Weinstein, who was hit with an additional charge of first-degree criminal sexual act, denied assaulting Sokola. He also denied assaulting Mann and Haley. Weinstein spokesman, Juda Engelmayer, said 'we consider this a little bit of a victory' because the producer was acquitted on the Sokola charge. 'He's feeling, you know, not good about being convicted for Miriam, but relieved that he wasn't convicted on Kaja and hopeful on the Jessica part,' Engelmayer said of Weinstein during a press conference. Sokola is getting back to the dreams she says Weinstein stole from her after the alleged assaults, with the launch of her own production company, Falcon 88. 'Healing means doing what I love and being able to be a helpful member of society, being a producer that listens to others, respects others, treats people with dignity that they deserve,' she said. 'It's named after my dad. He was 88 years old when he died.' Her first project is executive producing a film, 'The Eden Express,' starring Jonah Hauer-King and David Duchovny. Sokola is also a single mom with a young son. And when asked how she hopes her son will react when he finds out she testified against Weinstein, Sokola smiled. 'I hope he will think that his mom is a badass and that his mom stands for the truth and is not afraid to speak her truth,' she said.
NBC News
8 hours ago
- NBC News
From a 'day of love' to 'if they spit, we will hit': Trump's about-face on violence against police
President Donald Trump has promised swift retribution for any violence against law enforcement by protesters in Los Angeles. 'IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before,' he wrote on his social media platform after making a similar statement a day earlier to reporters. 'Such disrespect will not be tolerated!' It is an about-face for the president. On Jan. 6, 2021, Peter Stager assaulted an officer with a flagpole during the riot on the U.S. Capitol. Another, Daniel 'D.J.' Rodriguez, drove a stun gun into the neck of a Capitol police officer and pleaded guilty to the crime. And a third, Julian Khater, pepper-sprayed Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick in the face. Sicknick later died. Trump pardoned them all. Trump's tolerance for violence against law enforcement during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is facing renewed scrutiny in the wake of his remarks and actions in Los Angeles, where his administration is taking a hard line against protesters. He federalized thousands of National Guard members and sent 700 U.S. Marines to the country's second-largest city — against the wishes of state and local officials — after protesters blocked immigration enforcement actions. It's a sea change from how Trump treated the Jan. 6 riot, when his supporters attacked the Capitol in an attempt to block Congress' certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election win. In an address Tuesday evening about events in his state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the disparity. 'By the way, Trump, he's not opposed to lawlessness and violence, as long as it serves him. What more evidence do we need than Jan. 6?' Newsom said. Harry Dunn, a former U.S. Capitol police officer who was serving in the Capitol during the attack, told NBC News that he sees Trump's actions then and now as hypocritical. 'Donald Trump is OK with violence, as long as it's done in his name. That's the message that he's sending right now,' Dunn said. 'That's why he pardoned the people on Jan. 6: They did it in his name … what about the officers on Jan. 6? Just put an asterisk by those officers and say, 'Not them. They stopped Donald Trump from succeeding.'' The White House says Trump is fulfilling his mandate. 'President Trump was elected to secure the border, equip federal officials with the tools to execute this plan, and restore law and order. This also underscores the need to pass the OBBB, which would provide record funding and resources to those on the front lines in Los Angeles,' White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement, referring to Trump's push for his 'One big beautiful bill,' the legislative vehicle for his agenda currently before Congress. On Wednesday, NBC News also asked Attorney General Pam Bondi about how the Trump administration is handling California versus Jan. 6, 2021. 'Well, this is very different,' she said. 'These are people out there hurting people in California right now. This is ongoing. No longer. We're going to protect them. We're going to do everything we can to prosecute violent criminals in California. California is burning. These people are waving Mexican flags, yet they don't want anyone to go back to Mexico. They're burning American flags. This is the United States of America, and we're going to protect Americans. We're going to protect all citizens out there.' During the riot at the Capitol, no National Guard help arrived for hours, despite pleas from those inside the building. Then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller testified before a House panel that Trump never gave a formal deployment order, and other testimony described then-Vice President Mike Pence taking the lead in attempting to get the National Guard out to help control the mob. Meanwhile, rioters violently broke through barriers, smashed windows, brutalized officers and chanted threats to Pence. In all, at least 140 police officers were injured. Trump later called it ' a day of love ' and has referred to the rioters as ' hostages,' ' warriors ' and 'victims.' 'What they've done to some people that are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,' Trump said to former President Joe Biden at last year's first presidential debate, referring to the rioters. 'What you have done, how you've destroyed the lives of so many people. Michael Fanone, a former D.C. police officer who was attacked by Rodriguez on Jan. 6, took issue with Trump's posture in California. Fanone called the president 'a hypocrite,' and 'a liar.' 'Had those people storming the Capitol been illegal f--- immigrants or Black people or any other group that … his base found to be displeasing, then they would have said 'open fire,'' Fanone said in an interview. The Los Angeles clashes began Friday as federal immigration agents attempted to carry out arrests in the city. Some protesters tried to stop vehicles carrying detained immigrants and the confrontations soon turned violent, with officers using pepper spray and batons. By Sunday, National Guard troops, outfitted with heavy military equipment, moved into downtown Los Angeles. Some demonstrators pelted law enforcement vehicles with rocks and debris, and set numerous vehicles on fire. Dozens of people were arrested over the weekend, and the L.A. Police Department reported five officers suffering minor injuries and two others treated and released from the hospital in recent days. By Monday, Trump had deployed the U.S. Marines into the state. At a news conference on Tuesday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., both brought up comparisons to Jan. 6. 'We begged the President of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,' Pelosi said. 'That day he didn't do it. He forgave those people.' Gomez spoke of the furor with which the events unfolded that day. 'There was 50,000 people outside,' Gomez said. 'They were scaling the walls, scaling the walls. They were bashing in, breaking in, with members of Congress, members of Congress, trapped in the gallery, including myself, including a lot of the people here.' Earlier this year, Trump issued more than 1,500 pardons or commutations for the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day in office. Among the crimes Trump dissolved was that of Stager, a 44-year-old truck driver from Arkansas who was sentenced to four years in prison for the flagpole assault. According to prosecutors, Stager was caught on a Jan. 6 video saying, 'Every single one of those Capitol law enforcement officers, death is the remedy, that is the only remedy they get.' Dunn, the former U.S. Capitol police officer, noted that the same Republicans who are in lockstep with Trump at this moment in California are the same ones who have refused to display a plaque commemorating those who died and were injured on Jan. 6. 'What about the blue from Jan. 6th? They don't even want to put the plaque up! Back the blue that way then,' Dunn added. 'It's hypocritical and they're aware that it's all about appeasing their base and appeasing the leader of their party, which is Donald Trump.'
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
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.
