2 days ago
Austria school shooting: Vigil held in Graz for victims of 'national tragedy'
Three days of national mourning are being held in the Austrian city of Graz following a deadly shooting at a secondary school, as ITV News Correspondent Geraint Vincent reports
Hundreds of people gathered at a vigil in the Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday to mourn the ten people killed in a shooting at a local school.
People lit candles in Graz's main square as part of what Austria's Chancellor, Christian Stocker, designated as three days of national mourning.
A minute of silence is expected to be observed on Wednesday morning throughout Austria.
Ten people were killed at a school in Graz, Austria's second-largest city, after a former student opened fire on Tuesday, in one of the worst rampages in the country's history.
Officials said the victims included children between 14 and 18 years old and at least one teacher. Around 12 others were wounded, some of them seriously.
The suspect, who police believe acted alone, also died.
Authorities say the assailant was a 21-year-old Austrian man who had two weapons, which he appeared to have owned legally.
Police said they didn't immediately have information on the man's motive, but said that he killed himself in a toilet after fatally shooting ten people.
Graz's Mayor Elke Kahr described the shooting at the Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium Dreierschützengasse school in the northwest of the city as a 'terrible tragedy".
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, who travelled to Graz following the incident, said the shooting 'is a national tragedy that deeply shocks our whole country".
'There are no words for the pain and grief that all of us — the whole of Austria — feel now,' he wrote in a statement posted on X.
President Alexander Van der Bellen said: "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."
In Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: 'Schools are symbols for youth, hope and the future.
'It is hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence.'
In Austria, ownership of a weapons license allows a person to purchase and own firearms, as well as carry them if they fall into category B.
Category B firearms are handguns, repeating shotguns and semi-automatic firearms that are not considered 'war material' or prohibited.
To gain a weapons license, a person is required to be at least 21 years old, a citizen of the EEA (European Economic Area) and be able to prove why they need to carry a Category B firearm.
They must also undergo a psychological report, confirming that the applicant will not handle the weapon carelessly, and must hold proof of proper handling of firearms.
