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Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Austrians hold minute of silence and vigil for 10 victims of school shooting
GRAZ — Austria has held a minute of silence for 10 people killed in a school shooting, after thousands gathered for a candlelight vigil for the victims on Tuesday evening. Police said the 21-year-old suspect, a former student, took his own life in a school bathroom shortly after the gun attack in Graz on Tuesday - the deadliest in the country's recent history. In a statement on Wednesday, police said they found a "farewell letter" and a non-functional pipe bomb during a search of the suspect's home. Authorities have not confirmed the gunman's motive. The incident, which left a further 12 people injured, took place at Dreierschützengasse secondary school in the north-west of the city. Six females and three males were killed in the attack, and a seventh female died later in hospital. Austria's APA news agency has reported that seven of those killed were pupils. Three days of mourning have been declared in Austria, and a nationwide minute's silence was held on Wednesday at 10:00 local time in memory of the victims. The Austrian flag has been lowered to half-mast on all public the minute's silence in Graz's main square, one woman, Tores, told BBC News that she knew one of the boys who had died. He was 17."I've known this family for a long time, including the son of the family, and knew that he attended that school. I rang immediately, to ask if everything is OK. Then they let me know at midday, that the boy was one of those slaughtered," she said."What happened yesterday is completely awful, the whole of Austria is in mourning," she said. "This is terrible for the whole of Austria."At the vigil on Tuesday night, Graz residents said they wanted to turn the city's main square into a sea of candles, and that is what they the whispering silence, thousands of mostly young people gathered over the course of the evening, alone or clutching the arms or shoulders of their friends. They lit candles, cried, or stood for a while in prayer or they slowly came forward to hand candles to volunteers who arranged them carefully on the steps of the Archduke Johann fountain is known as the heart of the old town of Graz, in front of the city hall. On Tuesday night it became a symbol of the grief, and solidarity, of the people of Austria."When you hear about it, you have so much sympathy for the people, maybe you could have known someone," Felix Platzer, a passerby at the vigil, told the Reuters news agency."This is an example of solidarity and you grieve together and together it is easier to cope," he added.A crowd is gathered in front of rows of lit candles in red and gold school where the attack took place will remain closed until further Chancellor Christian Stocker said Tuesday was a "dark day in [the] history of our country" and declared the shooting a "national tragedy"."A school is more than just a place to learn - it is a space for trust, for feeling comfortable and for having a future," he told the conference, adding this safe place had been "violated"."In these difficult hours, being human is our strongest point," he attack "strikes our country right at its heart", Stocker said in the immediate aftermath."These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them."The gunman, who has not yet been named, was a former Dreierschützengasse student who didn't graduate from the school, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told a news conference on Tuesday added it was now the job of the criminal office to also confirmed the gunman was not known to police before the information suggests the shooter legally owned the two guns used in the attack and had a firearms licence, police media outlets have reported the suspect used a pistol and a shotgun to carry out the was an Austrian man from the wider Graz region who acted alone, police said they began an operation at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) after gunshots were heard from inside the school.A specialist Cobra tactical unit - which handles attacks and hostage situations - was deployed to the school, police evacuated all pupils and teachers from the building. Police confirmed the school had been secured and there was no further danger posed to members of the public."Locally, we have seen people crying on the streets, talking to friends that have been at the school when the shooting happened, who have maybe lost a friend," said Fanny Gasser, a journalist for the Austrian daily newspaper Kronen told BBC News "everybody knows somebody" at the school because Graz - despite being the second-largest city in Austria - is "not that big".She said the school was likely unprepared for the possibility of an attack. "We are not living in America, we are living in Austria, which seems like a very safe space."Local mayor Elke Kahr called the incident a "terrible tragedy".European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas said she was "deeply shocked" by the news. "Every child should feel safe at school and be able to learn free from fear and violence," she posted on a woman living with her husband Franz in the ground floor flat of the residential building next to the school, told the BBC she had just finished hanging out the washing when she heard said: "I heard shots. Lots of them, one after the other. 'Poof... poof... poof.... poof... poof...' again and again. I went into the flat to my husband and I told him: 'Someone is shooting!'"He thought it was maybe something else, but we heard I reckon 30 to 40 shots. Then my husband rang the police.""We saw one pupil at the window - it looked like he was getting ready to jump out... but then he went back inside," Franz said, adding they also saw a pair later saw the students had "got out of the school on the ground floor, from the other side" where they "gathered on the street", Franz Tuesday afternoon, long queues had formed outside a blood donation centre in Graz."Today is a hard day for all of us in Graz. I'm here to [donate] my blood to help other people who need it," 25-year-old Stephanie Koenig told Reuters news agency."Today I'm here because I wanted to do something. I felt helpless with the news," Johanna, 30, person standing in line told Reuters giving blood felt like the "only way possible to help".The incident is the deadliest mass shooting in the country's recent 2020, jihadist gunman Kujtim Fejzulai shot four people dead and wounded 23 others on a rampage through Vienna's busy nightlife in 2016, a gunman opened fire at a concert in the town of Nenzing, killing two people before shooting himself dead. Eleven other people were injured in the attack. — BBC
Metro
2 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
Thousands attend candle-lit vigil for Austrian school shooting victims in Graz
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Austrians held a candlelight vigil to mourn the country's deadliest mass shooting, which left eleven people dead. The country is reeling after yesterday, a former student of Borg Dreirschutzengasse Secondary School in Graz opened fire as students were taking exams. Eleven people have died so far from the shooting, with seven females and three males confirmed among the dead – the shooter killed himself in the bathroom. Yesterday evening, residents of Austria's second-largest city gathered in sombre silence to reflect. Thousands cried, prayed and stood watch over dozens of lit candles in the main town square. Attendee Felix Platzer told Reuters: 'When you hear about it, you have so much sympathy for the people, maybe you could have known someone. 'This is an example of solidarity, and you grieve together. Together it is easier to cope.' In a press conference after the shooting, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said the country would enter three days of mourning, with the flag flown at half mast. 'That such a safe space was hit by such a violent act leaves us speechless,' he said. ''Today is about empathy. It's about cohesion, that we are there together for each other in a difficult hour.' Mario Kunasek, governor of Styria, said: 'Styria is mourning today, the green heart is crying. This is an unimaginable tragedy that happened this morning. 'This is so unfathomable. The lives of so many have changed dramatically today.' The shooter has been named as a 21-year-old man from Graz. Initial investigations have found he owned the guns legally. The suspect has not yet been named. More Trending Investigators found a farewell letter at the home of the suspected gunman, Austrian newspaper Krone has reported. Police reportedly raided his property yesterday afternoon and found the note, the contents of which are unknown. The suspect was a former student at the school and didn't finish his education there. He killed himself after committing the mass shooting. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Three gunmen on the loose in Philadelphia after two shot dead in mass shooting MORE: At least 11 injured after gunman opens fire during boat party MORE: Eurovision winner JJ leads calls for Israel to be banned from song contest
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First Post
2 days ago
- First Post
Austrians hold vigil in Graz after 10 die in school shooting
In the hushed stillness of the evening, thousands gathered, some alone, others holding onto friends' arms or shoulders. They lit candles, shed tears, and stood quietly in prayer or deep reflection read more People light candles at a makeshift memorial site after several people died in a school shooting, on June 10, 2025 in Graz, southeastern Austria. AFP People in the Austrian city of Graz held a candlelight vigil for the victims of a school shooting that killed 10 people, including the gunman who took his own life following the attack. The attack is the deadliest gun violence the country has seen in recent years. Police said that the 21-year-old gunman, a former student of the Dreierschützengasse secondary school, the site of the mishap, killed himself in a bathroom shortly after going on a rampage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said that nine people were confirmed dead, while 12 others were seriously injured in the shooting. Seven of the victims were female and three were male, authorities said without specifying their ages. A 17-year-old French student was among the victims, his father told AFP. Candles, cries and contemplation The vigil was held on Tuesday night at the city square, where a number of residents, mostly young, showed up to mourn the deaths of the victims. In the hushed stillness of the evening, thousands gathered, some alone, others holding onto friends' arms or shoulders. They lit candles, shed tears, and stood quietly in prayer or deep reflection. Felix Platzer, a passerby at the vigil, told Reuters, 'When you hear about it, you have so much sympathy for the people, maybe you could have known someone.' 'This is an example of solidarity, and you grieve together and together it is easier to cope,' he added. Austria has declared three days of mourning, with a nationwide minute of silence scheduled for Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. local time to honour the victims. Flags at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, home to the office of President Alexander Van der Bellen, will be flown at half-staff. Who was the gunman? The suspect acted alone and took his own life in the school toilet, police said. The police said late Tuesday they had found a good-bye letter addressed to his parents during a search of his residence, but that it included no clues about his motive. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to police, the alleged perpetrator was an Austrian from the Graz region, who used two legally owned weapons. He was a former student at the high school, but had not finished his studies. With inputs from agencies
