Latest news with #BorutZivulovic
The Star
16 hours ago
- The Star
Austrian investigators slowly build profile of school shooter
FILE PHOTO: Police officers stand as children are evacuated from the school, following a deadly school shooting in Graz, Austria, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic/File Photo GRAZ, Austria (Reuters) -Austrian investigators were on Thursday slowly piecing together the character of the man who carried out the country's worst school shooting this week, with officials struggling to reach anyone who knew the deceased 21-year-old well. The Austrian man, identified by local media as Arthur A., killed 10 people before shooting himself at his former high school in the southern city of Graz, sending shockwaves through Austria, which declared three days of national mourning. Police found discarded plans for a bomb attack and a non-functional bomb during a search of his home after the shooting, but what triggered his destructive urges remains unclear. Authorities said the suspect failed to complete his studies at the school. Local media reported the man, who lived with his mother on the outskirts of Graz, felt bullied at the school and wanted revenge, though police have not confirmed this. Neighbours and officials in the commuter town of Kalsdorf bei Graz, where he lived, described a withdrawn, slight man who generally wore a cap and headphones, covering himself up. Of over a dozen local residents spoken to about the suspect by Reuters, few wanted to talk at all. Some said they had seen him, but none said they knew him. "He's not at all known in the place, that is, we weren't able to speak to either friends or acquaintances yesterday," local council official Sabine Jakubzig told Austrian television. According to newspaper Heute, investigators said he did not have a personal account on social media. Police, who declined to comment, will hold a press conference later on Thursday. Austrian magazine Profil said three months ago the suspect had started practising shooting at a club near his home, citing an unidentified regular at the range. The man related how he had praised the young man for his accuracy, but received no response. "He was like someone from another planet," Profil quoted the shooting club regular as saying. Questions about the bullying allegations at the Dreierschutzengasse school the young man attended were put to its deputy head, Norbert Urabl, on national broadcaster ORF. "Bullying is a very delicate topic. Bullying occurs on so many levels that it's very difficult to pinpoint the term bullying in this case," he said. "But the fact is that, if bullying can be triggered, then more sensitivity is urgently needed to recognise bullying processes earlier." (Reporting by Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich and Francois Murphy, Writing by Dave Graham, editing by Ed Osmond)
Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Straits Times
Austrian investigators slowly build profile of school shooter
People attend a memorial service at a main square in Graz, following a deadly shooting at a secondary school, Austria, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger FILE PHOTO: Police officers stand as children are evacuated from the school, following a deadly school shooting in Graz, Austria, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic/File Photo GRAZ, Austria - Austrian investigators were on Thursday slowly piecing together the character of the man who carried out the country's worst school shooting this week, with officials struggling to reach anyone who knew the deceased 21-year-old well. The Austrian man, identified by local media as Arthur A., killed 10 people before shooting himself at his former high school in the southern city of Graz, sending shockwaves through Austria, which declared three days of national mourning. Police found discarded plans for a bomb attack and a non-functional bomb during a search of his home after the shooting, but what triggered his destructive urges remains unclear. Authorities said the suspect failed to complete his studies at the school. Local media reported the man, who lived with his mother on the outskirts of Graz, felt bullied at the school and wanted revenge, though police have not confirmed this. Neighbours and officials in the commuter town of Kalsdorf bei Graz, where he lived, described a withdrawn, slight man who generally wore a cap and headphones, covering himself up. Of over a dozen local residents spoken to about the suspect by Reuters, few wanted to talk at all. Some said they had seen him, but none said they knew him. "He's not at all known in the place, that is, we weren't able to speak to either friends or acquaintances yesterday," local council official Sabine Jakubzig told Austrian television. According to newspaper Heute, investigators said he did not have a personal account on social media. Police, who declined to comment, will hold a press conference later on Thursday. Austrian magazine Profil said three months ago the suspect had started practising shooting at a club near his home, citing an unidentified regular at the range. The man related how he had praised the young man for his accuracy, but received no response. "He was like someone from another planet," Profil quoted the shooting club regular as saying. Questions about the bullying allegations at the Dreierschutzengasse school the young man attended were put to its deputy head, Norbert Urabl, on national broadcaster ORF. "Bullying is a very delicate topic. Bullying occurs on so many levels that it's very difficult to pinpoint the term bullying in this case," he said. "But the fact is that, if bullying can be triggered, then more sensitivity is urgently needed to recognise bullying processes earlier." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Austrian neighbours of school shooter recall withdrawn young man
People gather to observe a minute of silence in honour of the victims of a deadly shooting at a secondary school, at the main square in Graz, Austria, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Emergency personnel put up a barricade at the site of a deadly shooting at a secondary school, in Graz, Austria, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic KALSDORF BEI GRAZ, Austria - Neighbours and officials painted the picture of a withdrawn young man who attracted little attention before he achieved international notoriety by shooting dead 10 people at his former school and killing himself in the Austrian city of Graz. Authorities have so far given virtually no details about the 21-year-old Austrian media have referred to as Arthur A., other than that he was Austrian and failed to complete his studies at the Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz. In the commuter town of Kalsdorf bei Graz about 15 km (9 miles) from Graz where he lived, residents on his estate of neat, grey three-floor apartment buildings with dashes of orange were stunned to learn the quiet neighbour they barely noticed was behind Austria's first mass school shooting. "He was totally inconspicuous. He didn't attract any negative attention, nor did he integrate into our community in any way," said Manfred Komericky, mayor of the town near Graz airport and home to around 10,000 people. The family's letterbox had been taped over by Wednesday afternoon, any trace of their name no longer apparent. Of over a dozen residents spoken to by Reuters, few wanted to speak at all. Some said they had seen the man. None said they knew him. Neighbours said the suspect lived with his mother in a ground floor apartment at one end of the estate with leafy gardens over which a large concrete grain silo looms. Planes taking off from the airport can be seen in the distance. Several balconies and gardens on the estate boasted model storks signalling that families had welcomed babies recently. Komericky said Kalsdorf had around 40 clubs and associations but that the young man had never really been noticed at them. Austrian newspapers Kronen Zeitung and Heute published pictures of a slight youth with a long fringe they described as the alleged perpetrator, one of which showed him holding a cat. According to Heute, investigators said he did not have a personal profile on social media. Police declined to comment. Details of his life after he left school were scarce. Heute said he struggled to find work. Police found a non-functional pipe bomb and a discarded plan for a bomb attack at his home. Thomas Gasser, 38, a supermarket manager who lived in the building opposite the suspect for years, described him as small and generally decked out in a cap and headphones, covered up. Contact with the family was minimal, Gasser said. "It's just that we hardly ever saw them," he explained. Officials said the suspect opened fire on pupils and staff at the school with a pistol and shotgun before shooting himself in a toilet in the building. Austrian media reported that he felt bullied, though police have not confirmed this. Police said that the suspect left behind a farewell note and a video message before he entered the school grounds. Citing investigators, Kronen Zeitung said the man asked forgiveness from his mother in the video while thanking her for looking after him. The massacre on Tuesday was the bloodiest episode in the postwar history of Graz, and eclipsed a previous nadir: the 2015 killing of three people and injuring of many more by a man who drove his vehicle into a crowded Graz shopping street. The news that the school shooting suspect lived in Kalsdorf was an unwelcome reminder of those days - because the driver in the vehicle attack also lived in the same Graz suburb, residents said. Contemporaneous media reports confirm this. Helmut, a 65-year-old pensioner from Kalsdorf, said he was completely shocked by the coincidence. "I don't understand it," he said. "Why do they always come from here?" REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Austrian police search for answers after mass shooting in school
People light candles outside the site of a deadly shooting at a secondary school, in Graz, Austria, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic GRAZ, Austria (Reuters) -Austrian authorities were searching on Wednesday for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues to why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. Police added that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Austrian authorities said the suspect never completed his studies at the school. He left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack, police said. Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told national broadcaster ORF on Tuesday night. Around 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Austrian police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. (Reporting by Francois Murphy and Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Austrian police search for answers after mass shooting in school
Candles are placed outside a secondary school following a deadly shooting, in Graz, Austria, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic Emergency personnel stand infront of the site of a deadly shooting at a secondary school, in Graz, Austria, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic People light candles outside the site of a deadly shooting at a secondary school, in Graz, Austria, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic GRAZ, Austria - Austrian authorities were searching on Wednesday for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues to why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. Police added that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Austrian authorities said the suspect never completed his studies at the school. He left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack, police said. Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told national broadcaster ORF on Tuesday night. Around 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Austrian police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
