At least five killed in shooting at Austrian school
At least five people have been killed in a shooting attack on a school in the Austrian city of Graz, local media have said.
An operation was under way in a street called Dreierschuetzengasse, on which there is a secondary school, police said.
Local broadcaster ORF described it as a "major" police operation following a "shooting spree" in the city in southeastern Austria.
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Sky News
43 minutes ago
- Sky News
'A dark day in Austria's history': 10 killed in school shooting - with one teenager spared because he was off sick for the day
Students and adults are among 10 victims who were killed after a gunman opened fire at a secondary school in the Austrian city of Graz. Interior minister Gerhard Karner said earlier that a further 12 people were injured in the shooting at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Austria's second-biggest city. He gave the figure before it was confirmed that a person in hospital with life-threatening injuries had become the 10th person to die. It is not clear if this reduces the number of those injured to 11. The interior minister also said the suspect was a former pupil of the school who didn't finish his studies. Police have confirmed that the 21-year-old Austrian gunman was found dead in the toilets of the school after the shootings and was operating alone. Nobody can believe it happened here When 'M' - a 16-year-old student - saw mentions of a school shooting on his phone, he assumed it was yet another tragedy in the US. But it couldn't have been closer to home. Three students in his class had been killed - his own cousin had been shot in the shoulder. M only escaped the carnage because he was off school sick. After the terror and panic of Tuesday morning, an eerie calm has settled over these streets. People stand in silence staring past the wire fence that guards the school - through the windows you can see the still-lit corridors; a handful of police officers standing guard outside the main entrance. There are, no doubt, many more police inside the school - out of our view, still gathering evidence - trying to answer the question that's on everyone's minds: why? Why did a former student take two guns - seemingly legally owned - into his former classrooms, and open fire? It's reported a 'farewell letter' was found by authorities at the gunman's home. But can that really provide answers to such a senseless loss of young life? M knows he will never feel secure walking through these corridors again, in a school and town he said was always quiet and safe. Austria has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, but mass shootings have been - before Tuesday - extremely rare. A national conversation about its gun laws and ownership loopholes must surely follow these coming days of national mourning. Authorities say the suspect had two weapons - reported to be a shotgun and a pistol - which he appeared to have owned legally. Police have said they did not have information about his possible motive. Footage shared online revealed how gunshots and screaming could be heard after the suspect entered the school before opening fire. French education minister Elisabeth Borne has said that one of those who died was a "young fellow citizen" of France. It came as the mother of a child who survived the shooting retold the distressing moment she received a phone call from her son. "My son called me to say he was in school and that he was being shot and that he thought he was going to die," she said. She only found out two hours later that he was still alive. Special forces were among those sent to the school, just under a mile from Graz's historic centre, after a call at 10am local time (9am UK time) on Tuesday. About an hour and half later, police wrote on X that the school had been evacuated and everyone had been taken to a safe meeting point. Police deployed in large numbers, with emergency vehicles guarding the area around the school and with at least one police helicopter flying above. Graz is located in the southeast of the country and about 300,000 people live there. A 'dark day' Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said there would be three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-mast and a national minute of mourning at 10am on Wednesday. He said that it was "a dark day in the history of our country". President Alexander Van der Bellen said that "this horror cannot be captured in words". "These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their way," he said. Well-wishers later lit candles and placed them in the main square in Graz city centre on Tuesday night as a tribute to the shooting victims. People were seen quietly reflecting as the city tried to come to terms with the deadly attack. The school where the attack took place had earlier posted a message on Instagram following the tragedy. The message is written in German, the official language of Austria, and translates in English to: "It was a really terrible day that deeply impacted and affected us all. "Let us continue to stand together as a school community and support one another.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Austria school shooting latest: Gunman who killed 10 in Graz was former student who took own life in toilet
A gunman who opened fire and killed 10 people before taking his own life in a school in Austria was a former student of the college, police have confirmed. Authorities said the gunman, a 21-year-old Austrian national, opened fire at the BORG school in Graz just after 10am local time. Interior minister Gerhard Karner said there were six female and three male victims of the shooting, with twelve injured. Some of those injured remain in a serious condition and are being treated in hospital. One of two critically injured adults died, Universitatsklinkum Graz Hospital said, taking the number of people killed to 10. The gunman took his own life in the bathroom at the school, police told a press conference. Mr Karner said that the shooter had licences for his guns and therefore owned them legally. He had attended the school but had not graduated. Austrian chancellor Christian Stocker said there were no words to describe the pain being felt across the country following the attack. 'The school shooting in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country,' he said in a statement. Full report | At least 10 dead in Graz school shooting with major police operation underway in Austria 'Dark day' as 10 killed in Austria school shooting Witnesses described chaos as gunman opened fire at school in Graz Jabed Ahmed11 June 2025 03:00 Watch: Gun shots heard in classroom as armed police storm building to rescue students Jabed Ahmed11 June 2025 02:00 Shooting one of the deadliest attack in Austria's postwar history 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 into Austrian police after he killed his ex-girlfriend, her family and her new boyfriend in the Alpine resort town of Kitzbuehel. Almost exactly 10 years ago, on 20 June 2015, a man killed three people and injured more than 30 when he drove through a crowd in downtown Graz with an SUV. Jabed Ahmed11 June 2025 01:00 Austria's gun culture Austria has some of the more liberal gun laws in the European Union. Traditionally, many in the Alpine region go hunting, and it's more common to carry a weapon for that purpose than for self-defence. 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. Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 23:59 Director of Public Security issues more detail on shooting Director General of Public Security Franz Ruf told state broadcaster ORF that victims were found outside and inside the school on various floors, adding the gunman had been armed with both a shotgun and a pistol, both found at the scene. Ruf also told ORF the suspect had left behind a farewell letter, both in analogue and digital form, in which he said goodbye to his parents but gave no indication of a motive, which was still being investigated. Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 23:00 Everything we know so far about attack which killed 10 and injured 12 Everything we know about the Austrian school shooting that left nine dead Gunman opened fire in school in Graz in one of country's worst ever mass shootings Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 22:30 Residents hold vigil for victims Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 21:59 Austria enters three days of mourning Chancellor Christian Stocker has described the attack as 'a dark day in the history of our country'. Speaking at a press conference in Graz, Mr Stocker announced three days of national mourning and called for a minute's silence at 10am (9am BST) on Wednesday. He was joined by senior officials, including Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, as Austria begins to reckon with the scale of the tragedy. Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 21:29 The shooting happened inside two classrooms, local media reports The Salzburger Nachrichten reported that the attacker opened fire inside two classrooms, one of which he had previously studied in. The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said he was armed with both a pistol and a shotgun. Police have not confirmed these details, but said the investigation was ongoing. Jabed Ahmed10 June 2025 20:59
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Inside Austrian school massacre: Students rang parents to say they were going to die while others pretended they were dead as 'bullied' ex-student fired 'in a circle' in classrooms, slaughtering 10 people
A 'bullied' drop-out pupil turned an Austrian school into a bloodbath yesterday as he massacred ten innocents in a gun rampage. More than a dozen others were wounded as shots and screams rang out when the 21-year-old stormed into his old classroom blasting a shotgun and a pistol which he legally owned. In the country's worst mass school shooting, terror-stricken pupils pretended to be dead as they cowered in corridors and two classrooms or ran for their lives. Chilling video captured the sound of shots followed by screams as the gunman picked off his victims at the Dreierschuetzengasse high school in Austria's second largest city, Graz. Pupils and teachers were said to be among the dead. Six female and three male victims died quickly, with one adult said to be among them. The tenth victim, a woman, succumbed to her injuries in hospital last night. The former pupil – named locally as 'Artur A' – ended his deadly rampage when he turned a gun on himself in a toilet cubicle. Police later found a suicide note at his home nearby, which said he had 'felt bullied' at the school, according to Austria's Krone Zeitung newspaper, although authorities said only that he was an ex-pupil who had quit before completing his studies. It was also reported that a 'farewell video' was discovered, adding to the idea that Artur A may have meticulously planned his atrocity. Detectives are scouring data on his mobile phone and computers to build a picture of his recent movements and search for clues as to his motivation. Austria was plunged into a state of shock, with Chancellor Christian Stocker flying to Graz and declaring a 'dark day in the history of our country' as he announced three days of national mourning. More than 300 police and special forces descended on the school after 'screams and gunshots' were heard by emergency service workers during frantic calls at 10am local time. Armed Cobra police commandos charged into the four-storey building as part of an emergency response that included 65 ambulances, at least two air ambulances and 158 paramedics. Terrified pupils filmed themselves as gunshots rang out, and later as they fled down corridors as armed officers helped evacuate them from the 400-pupil school. Two schoolgirls were shown clinging on to each other as they ran from the school building. One teacher described being barricaded inside a classroom with pupils as they heard the gunshots. A distressing video showed victims lined up on stretchers outside of the school while dozens of paramedics tended to them. Some were covered by white sheets. Helicopter ambulances airlifted the most severely injured straight to Graz Regional Hospital. Desperate parents raced to the school as word of the massacre spread, with police reuniting them with evacuated survivors at a local hall. One father told how his son had survived by pretending to be dead. The man, named as Farag, told television channel Puls 24: 'Out of fear, he lay down to pretend that he was killed so that he wouldn't be targeted any more.' He added: 'Who did this? What kind of problem did he have?' One mother said: 'My son called me to say he was in school and that he was being shot at, and that he thinks he is going to die. I've only found out now, two hours later, that he's still alive.' Metin Ozden, who was in his kebab restaurant near the school, said: 'I've never seen so many emergency services in my entire life.' He said parents passing his restaurant were crying as they rushed to the school. Police commander Franz Ruff said 'at least' a dozen people had been injured in addition to those killed. Krone Zeitung newspaper previously reported that 28 people were taken to hospital, with at least two of them in an 'extremely critical condition'. Seven required emergency surgery. Some victims had reportedly been shot in the head. The numbers have not been officially verified. Police confirmed the killer had legally owned the weapons, with the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper reporting he had purchased one of the guns just days ago. Attacks in public are rare in the nation of almost 9.2 million people, which ranks among the ten safest countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. Last night the country's Chancellor said: 'A school... 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.' Austria's foreign minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said: 'As a mother of three children, my heart is breaking.' The local state governor Mario Kunasek said 'the green heart of Austria is crying', while president Alexander van der Bellen said: 'This horror cannot be captured in words.' Leaders from across Europe sent their condolences including Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky who said he was 'deeply saddened'. French education minister Elisabeth Borne said that one of those who died was a 'young fellow citizen' of France. At a news conference earlier in the day, Austria's interior minister Gerhard Karner refused to be drawn on 'speculation' in the case, saying it was the job of the criminal office to investigate. Police did confirm the killer was not 'known' to authorities before the attack. Last night Graz Cathedral held a service of reflection and the city's main square became a 'sea of lights' as candles were lit for the victims. In a nearby parish church, prayers were said for victims including one called Leo. 'We are lighting a light for Leo,' said Father Pesendorfer, who was in tears. Today, a nationwide minute's silence will be held at 10am local time. Flags on the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, where the president has his office, will fly at half mast. Yesterday afternoon long queues formed outside a blood donation centre in Graz. Johanna, 30, said: 'I'm here because I wanted to do something. I felt helpless.' Austria has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, with roughly 370,000 Austrians legally owning 1.5 million registered firearms, according to the interior ministry. Wild hunting is popular in the country and more than half of Austria's registered firearms fall under the category of weapons that can be owned by any adult without a licence.
