Latest news with #Kalsdorf
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Picture Begins to Emerge of Gunman Who Killed 10 at Austrian School
The Austrian authorities on Thursday were attempting to piece together a full portrait of the apparently troubled young man who they say killed 10 people in the course of a shooting rampage at his former school this week, with scattered clues emerging in the course of their investigations. Those details amplified concerns about how the man had been allowed to buy the guns he used to kill nine high school students and a teacher in the rampage, which has struck Austria to its core. The law requires prospective handgun owners to take a psychological test, which the gunman had passed. A picture of the 21-year-old attacker, whose identity has not been revealed because of privacy laws in Austria, has been slowly emerging in the past two days from details provided by the authorities and from reports in local media. Numerous news reports suggested that the assailant had been a loner with few friends, that he had been born in Austria and that he had been living with his Austrian-born mother in Kalsdorf, a small bedroom community just south of the Graz airport. The police have confirmed that they searched his mother's house there on Tuesday. The police said that the gunman had failed twice to graduate from the high school he attacked on Tuesday. When officers stormed his apartment on Tuesday afternoon, they found a nonfunctioning pipe bomb and plans for another attack, the police said, without providing further details about any other targets. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Austrian investigators slowly build profile of school shooter
GRAZ, Austria, June 12 (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."
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Austrian neighbours of school gunman recall withdrawn young man
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 taking his own life in the Austrian city of Graz. Authorities have so far given no details about the 21-year-old who 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 15km 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 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 about 10,000 people. READ MORE The family's letterbox had been taped over by Wednesday afternoon, any trace of their name no longer apparent. Of more than a dozen residents approached, few wanted to speak. 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. Komericky said Kalsdorf had about 40 clubs and associations but that the young man had never been noticed at them. The apartment building where the suspect lived. Photograph: Alex Halada/AFP via Getty Images 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. [ Austria school shooting: country falls silent as questions remain about motive Opens in new window ] 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 said. Officials said the suspect opened fire on pupils and staff at the school with a pistol and shotgun before taking his own life in a toilet in the building. Austrian media reported that he felt bullied, though police have not confirmed this. Police said the suspect left 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 victims were commemorated with a minute's silence at 10am. Churches rang funeral bells, including St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where about 900 public transport vehicles halted for a minute. The incident was hard to take in, said a religious studies teacher at the school, Paul Nitsche, who left his classroom before the gunman tried to enter, and briefly saw him trying to shoot the lock off another door. 'This is something I couldn't even imagine before,' he told ORF. 'That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real.'' 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; the driver in the vehicle attack also lived in the same Graz suburb, residents said. Contemporaneous media reports confirm this. – Reuters
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Austria falls silent for victims of Graz school shooting
Austria fell silent for a minute on Wednesday in memory of the 10 victims of a school shooting in Graz that ended with the gunman taking his own life. Hundreds of people lined the central square in Austria's second-biggest city; some laid more candles and flowers in front of the city hall, adding to a growing memorial to the victims. Meanwhile, neighbours and officials painted the picture of the suspect as a withdrawn young man who attracted little attention before Tuesday's gun rampage. Authorities have given few details about the 21-year-old, which Austrian media have referred to as Arthur A., except that he failed to complete his studies at the Dreierschatzengasse high school in Graz. Police said they found a farewell letter and a non-functional pipe bomb when they searched his home. He is believed to have used two weapons, a shotgun and a handgun, which he owned legally. 'A farewell letter in analogue and digital form was found,' said Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's Interior Ministry. In the commuter town of Kalsdorf bei Graz, where he lived, residents 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. 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. 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 wearing 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. 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.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Austrian school shooter: Neighbours recall withdrawn young man
KALSDORF BEI GRAZ, Austria, June 11 (Reuters) - 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?"
