logo
Nine people killed in school shooting in Austria's Graz

Nine people killed in school shooting in Austria's Graz

Al Jazeera10-06-2025
Nine people have been killed and at least 10 injured in a shooting at a school in the Austrian city of Graz.
Police were deployed to the BORG Dreierschutzengasse school in Austria's second largest city on Tuesday morning after shots were heard.
The suspected attacker is also dead, according to the Austrian Press Agency, bringing the total death toll to 10.
Police said they arrived at the school shortly after the shots were reported and secured the premises.
'No further danger is expected,' the police said, adding that students had been evacuated and were receiving support from a crisis intervention team along with their parents.
Among those killed are at least seven students, Graz Mayor Elke Kahr said, describing the attack as a 'terrible tragedy'. At least one adult was also killed.
The Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported that at least 10 people were wounded.
Mario Kunasek, governor of the southeastern Austrian state of Styria, of which Graz is the capital, expressed condolences to families of the victims.
'As a father, I am deeply saddened by this insane act, which has caused so much harm and incredible suffering,' he said. 'My thoughts are with the innocent victims, families and teachers.'
The Kronen Zeitung reported shots were first heard about 10am (08:00 GMT) and the attack was carried out across two classrooms at the upper secondary school, which is attended by pupils 14 years and older.
Police said they're working on the assumption that there was a sole suspect.
Media reported that the perpetrator, who died by suicide, is a former student of the school and said the attack is one of the country's worst mass shootings.
Graz is located in southeastern Austria and has a population of about 300,000 people.
Chancellor Christian Stocker is on his way to the school, a spokeswoman said. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner was also expected at the scene.
A spokeswoman for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the killings 'absolutely horrible and tragic'.
'We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the entire city of Graz. We stand together in mourning while we seek clarity in the wake of this horrible event,' she said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,272
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,272

Al Jazeera

time4 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,272

Here is how things stand on Tuesday, August 19: Politics and diplomacy United States President Donald Trump said he had a 'good meeting' with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday. Trump said the leaders discussed security guarantees that would be provided to Ukraine by European countries in 'coordination with' the US. Zelenskyy said US involvement in the security guarantees was 'a major step forward', and that details would be 'formalised on paper within the next week to 10 days'. Zelenskyy also told reporters that his country had offered to buy $90bn worth of US weapons. Finland's President Alexander Stubb said the security guarantees discussed were similar to the Article 5-type guarantees offered to NATO members, but that details still needed to be ironed out. A Kremlin aide said Trump spoke with Putin on the phone for 40 minutes after his meeting with Zelenskyy and the European leaders, and that the two leaders discussed the possibility of increasing the level of Russian and Ukrainian representatives during talks. Trump said he had begun making arrangements for a bilateral summit between the Russian leader and Zelenskyy, with trilateral talks involving the US president to follow. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy could take place within two weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump believes Putin 'also wants a peace accord' but that if the 'process is met by refusal, we are also ready to say that we need to increase sanctions [on Russia]'. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC that the talks led to a 'significant breakthrough' because 'we are now going to be working with the US on those security guarantees.' Fighting Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks before the talks killed 14 people across the country. This includes a drone attack on an apartment building in Kharkiv that killed at least seven people. Thirty others were wounded. The victims on Monday also included three people who were killed in a ballistic missile strike on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional governor said, adding that another 23 were wounded. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched a total of four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, of which 88 drones were shot down or jammed. In Russia, falling debris from a Ukrainian drone shot down by Russian forces set off fires in a hospital building and on the grounds of an oil refinery, south of the city of Volgograd, regional governor Andrei Bocharov said in a post on Telegram. Russian forces destroyed 141 Ukrainian drones and four guided aerial bombs in a 24-hour period, Russia's state-run news agency TASS reported on Monday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry.

What to know about Trump's talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders
What to know about Trump's talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders

Al Jazeera

time5 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

What to know about Trump's talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders met with United States President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss plans to bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump convened the meeting after last week's three-hour summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where Putin rejected the idea of a ceasefire before reaching a comprehensive peace deal and urged Ukraine to surrender territory in the east in exchange for freezing the front line elsewhere. Trump and Zelenskyy's interactions were notably warmer than during their tense encounter at the White House in February, with the US president even praising his counterpart's suit. Here are the key takeaways: Trump said the US would back Europe in protecting Ukraine as part of a deal to end the war with Russia. 'When it comes to security, there's going to be a lot of help,' Trump said, describing European countries as the 'first line of defence'. 'We have people waiting in another room, right now, they're all here from Europe,' Trump added. 'Biggest people in Europe. And they want to give protection. They feel very strongly about it, and we'll help them out with that.' Trump also said that US support for Ukraine would continue regardless of the outcome of the talks. 'It's never the end of the road. People are being killed, and we want to stop that. So, I would not say it was the end of the road. I think we have a good chance of doing it,' he said. Zelenskyy hailed the pledge as 'a major step forward'. He later told reporters that Ukraine had offered to buy about $90bn worth of US weapons. Zelenskyy backed elections, provided they are held under safe circumstances. 'Yes, of course. We are open, yes… We need to work in the parliament because during the war, you can't have elections, but we can, we can do security,' Zelenskyy said. 'We need a truce… to make it possible for people to do democratic, open, legal, legal elections,' he added. When asked if he would carry out his promise from last week to impose 'severe consequences' on Russia if it does not end the war, Trump replied that a ceasefire may not be needed. 'I don't think you need a ceasefire,' Trump said. 'You know, if you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war. I didn't do any ceasefires. And I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically why one country or the other wouldn't want it,' he said. 'But we can work a deal where we're working on a peace deal while they're fighting,' Trump added. 'They have to fight. I wish they could stop.' Trump has claimed credit for helping to end six wars, including conflicts between India and Pakistan and Cambodia and Thailand. Asked what guarantees Zelenskyy would need from Trump to agree to a deal, the Ukrainian leader responded: 'everything'. 'It includes two parts. First, a strong Ukrainian army that I began to discuss with your colleagues, and it's a lot about weapons and people and training issues and intelligence,' Zelenskyy said. Today, important negotiations took place in Washington. We discussed many issues with President Trump. It was a long and detailed conversation, including discussions about the situation on the battlefield and our steps to bring peace closer. There were also several meetings in a… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2025 Trump sits down with European leaders After his initial meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump held a multilateral meeting with the Ukrainian leader and European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The US president described it as an 'honour' to convene with them at the White House, saying they were united in their goal of ending Russia's war in Ukraine. 'We've had a very successful day thus far, and important discussions as we work to end the killing and stop the war in Ukraine,' Trump said. President Trump and President Zelenskyy en route to meet with the European leaders — Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) August 18, 2025 'At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,' he wrote in a post on Truth Social after the talks. 'This is one of the key points that we need to consider, and we're going to be considering that at the table,' Trump said. He expressed optimism that, collectively, an agreement could be reached to deter further aggression against Ukraine. Trump also said discussions would need to address the possible exchange of territory. 'Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelenskyy and by the people of Ukraine, working also in agreement with President Putin,' Trump said. Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, according to open-source estimates. Ukraine, which took control of a large swath of Russia's Kursk region during a surprise counter-offensive last year, is not believed to hold any Russian territory at present. Trump added that he expected Putin to release Ukrainian prisoners soon. European leaders lay out positions NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the priority must be to stop the killing, as well as the destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure, thanking Trump for having 'broken the deadlock'. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the focus must be on a 'just and lasting peace for Ukraine', and added: 'Every single child has to go back to its family,' referring to the forced removal of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he 'can't imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire', urging allies to 'work on that and try to put pressure on Russia'. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that one of the most important issues is security guarantees and 'how to be sure that it won't happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace'. French President Emmanuel Macron said the aim must be a 'robust and longstanding peace', and called the idea of a trilateral meeting 'very important because this is the only way to fix it'. He also suggested that 'we will need boots on the ground' to secure peace. Everybody around this table is in favor of peace. — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 18, 2025 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the talks were not just about Ukraine but 'the security of Europe and the United Kingdom as well, which is why this is such an important issue'. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the gathering itself was 'symbolic, in the sense that it's Team Europe and Team United States helping Ukraine'. Noting Finland's long border with Russia, he added: 'We found a solution in 1944, and I'm sure that we'll be able to find a solution in 2025 to end Russia's war of aggression, find and get a lasting, just peace.' What's next? European Council leaders will hold a video call tomorrow to review Monday's talks, President Antonio Costa said. In a post on X, Costa said the call would take place at 1pm Brussels time (11:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Are US security guarantees enough to end the war in Ukraine?
Are US security guarantees enough to end the war in Ukraine?

Al Jazeera

time15 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

Are US security guarantees enough to end the war in Ukraine?

European leaders join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, DC for talks. According to United States President Donald Trump, it is possible to end the war in Ukraine – all that is needed is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's agreement. But for Zelenskyy, agreeing to anything that means losing territory to Russia is not only difficult, but may be impossible under Ukraine's constitution. Several European leaders are joining Zelenskyy in Washington, DC for his crucial talks with Trump – after the US leader's recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. There are reports of a possible deal on offer. But is it possible for Zelenskyy to agree to a deal without ceding any land to Russia? And what does it all say about Europe's position in the world? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Peter Zalmayev – Executive director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative Jean-Marc Rickli – Head of Global and Emerging Risks at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy Mattia Nelles – CEO and co-founder of the German-Ukrainian Bureau think tank

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store