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AsiaOne
11 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Austrian neighbours of school shooter recall withdrawn young man, World News
KALSDORF BEI GRAZ, Austria — Neighbours and officials painted the picture of a withdrawn young man who attracted little attention before he achieved international notoriety by shooting dead 10 people at his former school and killing himself in the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 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 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 (June 11) 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?" [[nid:718969]]
International Business Times
18 hours ago
- International Business Times
Who Was Arthur A? Austrian School Shooter Killed Neighbor's Daughter During Rampage and Asked Mom to Take Care of His Beloved Cat
New details have emerged about the Austrian gunman who killed 10 people at his former school on Tuesday, revealing that one of his victims was a young girl who lived in his neighborhood. This came as the gunman was identified as 21-year-old Artur A. from a suburb of Graz. Arthur also left behind disturbing messages for his family and had initially planned to carry out a bombing before abandoning that idea. The former student shot dead a teacher and nine students, all aged between 14 and 17, during the deadly rampage at the school in Graz. Eleven more were injured before Artur committed suicide in the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school. Left Message Before Going on Rampage The first victim of the tragedy was identified on Wednesday as 15-year-old Lea Ilir Bajrami. Police confirmed that Artur used two legally owned weapons—a shotgun and a pistol—during the attack, which lasted for nearly 13 minutes. This came as it was revealed that Artur recorded a farewell video addressed to his mother, in which he asked for forgiveness for "what I'm about to do now" just moments before launching the assault. According to Austrian news outlet Heute, his mother saw the message 24 minutes after it was sent and immediately contacted the police. However, by then, Artrur has already started the rampage, and had taken his own life in a school toilet. In another message he left behind, Artur reportedly blamed the school and experiences of bullying for his actions. He also requested that someone take care of his cat, as reported by Kronen Zeitung. Investigators searching his home found a non-functional pipe bomb and said that he had abandoned an earlier plan to carry out a bombing. "A farewell letter in analog and digital form was found," Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's Interior Ministry, told ORF public television Tuesday night. "He says goodbye to his parents. But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter, and that is a matter for further investigations." Attacked for Being Bullied When asked whether the attacker had randomly attacked or targeted them specifically, Ruf said that the matter is still being investigated. He said that victims with injuries were found on multiple floors of the school building, and one person was even found outside, near the entrance. The students who were killed were between 14 and 17 years old, and a teacher was also among the dead. Newly released information reveals that the shooter, who was just shy of his 22nd birthday, did not have any personal social media accounts. Described as a recluse, Artur reportedly had contact with only one friend, who was unaware of any plans of carrying out the attack on Tuesday morning. Although he had been living in Kalsdorf—a town of around 8,000 residents—for five years, he never took part in community events, sports, or local activities. Artur studied computer science during middle school and later attended a business school, which he left in 2019, according to local reports. He lived with his single mother in a suburb of Graz and had reportedly found it tough getting a job, Heute reported. Artur is believed to have previously attended the school where the attack took place on Tuesday, although he did not finish his education there.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Austrians endure shock, horror after gunman kills 10 at school
AUSTRIANS were dumbfounded by grief and horror after a 21-year-old gunman killed 10 people in a high school shooting spree on Tuesday morning, unleashing a new kind of violence to the Alpine country unaccustomed to such slayings. Parents of pupils, top government officials and local residents in the southern city of Graz were lost for words after the young man, who has not been named, opened fire at the school where he had recently been a pupil. "Terrible. There's nothing else to make of it, is there?" said Monika Leiner, a 55-year-old IT consultant who lives near the school. "I'm a bit older, and I've seen quite a few things but I can't remember (a shooting with) so many deaths." Police have given no motive for the killings though Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung said officers found a farewell letter during a search of the suspect's home. Authorities said the man did not graduate from the school and Austrian media published unconfirmed reports he had suffered from bullying. Hundreds of police rushed to the scene after shots rang out at around 10 a.m. Shortly afterwards the perpetrator was dead, having shot himself in a toilet, authorities said. The killings were the worst Austrian school shooting on record. The government declared three days of national mourning and political parties cancelled upcoming events. In the afternoon, people arrived to leave flowers and candles by the school. President Alexander Van der Bellen said it was hard to express what the country was feeling. "This horror cannot be put into words," he said. Long queues also 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. Police cordoned off the school and few parents of pupils there have so far made their feelings public. The mother of one pupil told state broadcaster ORF that her son had called her during the shooting. "It's impossible to grasp," said the woman, who was not named by the broadcaster. "I was just happy that he was on the phone and that I could hear him. But now I keep thinking about how others are doing." "He just told me that he had to run out and that he'd hidden in the garden. Everything else is too much for me now, including everything else he said," she added. Nola, a 21-year-old student and local resident, told Reuters a friend of one of her friends was among the victims. "A friend of mine goes to that school. She found out that a friend of hers died," she said. "She called me immediately afterwards in tears and said 'Hannah is dead! Hannah is dead!' and her parents were also beside themselves."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Austrians endure shock, horror after gunman kills 10 at school
By Francois Murphy GRAZ, Austria (Reuters) -Austrians were dumbfounded by grief and horror after a 21-year-old gunman killed 10 people in a high school shooting spree on Tuesday morning, unleashing a new kind of violence to the Alpine country unaccustomed to such slayings. Parents of pupils, top government officials and local residents in the southern city of Graz were lost for words after the young man, who has not been named, opened fire at the school where he had recently been a pupil. "Terrible. There's nothing else to make of it, is there?" said Monika Leiner, a 55-year-old IT consultant who lives near the school. "I'm a bit older, and I've seen quite a few things but I can't remember (a shooting with) so many deaths." Police have given no motive for the killings though Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung said officers found a farewell letter during a search of the suspect's home. Authorities said the man did not graduate from the school and Austrian media published unconfirmed reports he had suffered from bullying. Hundreds of police rushed to the scene after shots rang out at around 10 a.m. Shortly afterwards the perpetrator was dead, having shot himself in a toilet, authorities said. The killings were the worst Austrian school shooting on record. The government declared three days of national mourning and political parties cancelled upcoming events. In the afternoon, people arrived to leave flowers and candles by the school. President Alexander Van der Bellen said it was hard to express what the country was feeling. "This horror cannot be put into words," he said. Long queues also 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. Police cordoned off the school and few parents of pupils there have so far made their feelings public. The mother of one pupil told state broadcaster ORF that her son had called her during the shooting. "It's impossible to grasp," said the woman, who was not named by the broadcaster. "I was just happy that he was on the phone and that I could hear him. But now I keep thinking about how others are doing." "He just told me that he had to run out and that he'd hidden in the garden. Everything else is too much for me now, including everything else he said," she added. Nola, a 21-year-old student and local resident, told Reuters a friend of one of her friends was among the victims. "A friend of mine goes to that school. She found out that a friend of hers died," she said. "She called me immediately afterwards in tears and said 'Hannah is dead! Hannah is dead!' and her parents were also beside themselves."
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Austrians endure shock, horror after gunman kills 10 at school
People light candles in the main square following a deadly school shooting in Graz, Austria, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic GRAZ, Austria (Reuters) -Austrians were dumbfounded by grief and horror after a 21-year-old gunman killed 10 people in a high school shooting spree on Tuesday morning, unleashing a new kind of violence to the Alpine country unaccustomed to such slayings. Parents of pupils, top government officials and local residents in the southern city of Graz were lost for words after the young man, who has not been named, opened fire at the school where he had recently been a pupil. "Terrible. There's nothing else to make of it, is there?" said Monika Leiner, a 55-year-old IT consultant who lives near the school. "I'm a bit older, and I've seen quite a few things but I can't remember (a shooting with) so many deaths." Police have given no motive for the killings though Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung said officers found a farewell letter during a search of the suspect's home. Authorities said the man did not graduate from the school and Austrian media published unconfirmed reports he had suffered from bullying. Hundreds of police rushed to the scene after shots rang out at around 10 a.m. Shortly afterwards the perpetrator was dead, having shot himself in a toilet, authorities said. The killings were the worst Austrian school shooting on record. The government declared three days of national mourning and political parties cancelled upcoming events. In the afternoon, people arrived to leave flowers and candles by the school. President Alexander Van der Bellen said it was hard to express what the country was feeling. "This horror cannot be put into words," he said. Long queues also 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. Police cordoned off the school and few parents of pupils there have so far made their feelings public. The mother of one pupil told state broadcaster ORF that her son had called her during the shooting. "It's impossible to grasp," said the woman, who was not named by the broadcaster. "I was just happy that he was on the phone and that I could hear him. But now I keep thinking about how others are doing." "He just told me that he had to run out and that he'd hidden in the garden. Everything else is too much for me now, including everything else he said," she added. Nola, a 21-year-old student and local resident, told Reuters a friend of one of her friends was among the victims. "A friend of mine goes to that school. She found out that a friend of hers died," she said. "She called me immediately afterwards in tears and said 'Hannah is dead! Hannah is dead!' and her parents were also beside themselves." (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Additional reporting by Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich and Paul Arnold; Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Sandra Maler)
