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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
I delved into world of ‘righteous slaughter' school shooters & chilling psychological cocktail that drives them to kill
PICTURED staring intensely into the camera lens while cuddling his beloved cat, he looks just like any other young teen. But between dropping out of sixth form and turning 21, something dark grew in the mind of student Artur A - the man responsible for a shooting spree at his old school in Austria. 17 Artur A killed 10 in a rampage in his school in Graz, Austria 17 Lea Ilir Bajrami, 15, tragically lost her life in the attack in Graz Credit: Facebook 17 Emergency workers bring victims out of the school building Credit: AP On Tuesday, that festering resentment saw him walk into two classrooms at BORG Dreirschutzengasse high school in Graz and open fire with a Glock pistol and a shotgun. Today 10 families are mourning his victims, mostly teenagers who had their whole lives ahead of them before they were gunned down in cold blood. Lea Ilir Bajrami and Hana Akmadžićis, both 15, were among the six girls and three boys between 14 and 17 to be killed along with a 59-year-old teacher. Yet those grieving might never know the exact reason why their loved ones were murdered. School shootings are on the rise globally. In America, there were 83 school shootings last year compared to 36 in 2014. While shootings remain rare in Europe, analysis by The Sun shows 83 people have been shot dead in classrooms across the continent since Britain's worst atrocity at Thirty four of the victims were killed in the last two years following three major attacks, including this week's. The lone-wolf nature of perpetrators means there are often no warning bells. Eminent criminologist Professor David Wilson told The Sun: 'The motivation can be a desire for notoriety, for revenge or perhaps because the perpetrator has been radicalised in some way. Austria school shooter who killed 10 pupils revealed after leaving mum final video message "School shooters are often isolated from their peer groups, from the community in which they live and often have troubled relationships with their immediate family. Some will have a personality disorder or other underlying mental health issues. "The 64,000 dollar question is whether it's nature or nurture. For me, it is a messy combination of the two.' 'Justified' in killing Artur A, who killed himself in the school's toilets, is said to have been badly bullied by fellow pupils before leaving sixth form without qualifications. He was only known to police as a victim of pick-pocketing. In a 'farewell letter', he reportedly said goodbye to his parents and framed himself as the victim of bullying, reports Krone. He is also said to have recorded a video and sent it to his mum, speaking about the imminent atrocity, saying he was acting 'of his own free will' and asked her to look after his cat. 17 Hundreds of candles were lit in the main square of Graz Credit: AP 17 Mourners pay their respects at the makeshift shrine Credit: AFP Police later discovered a disassembled pipe bomb at his home. Professor Wilson says shooters often convince themselves that killing others is somehow justified. He said: 'There's very often a sense of righteous slaughter, they feel somehow justified in doing what they have done because they feel entitled to behave that way. 'There's a cocktail of factors unique to each shooter that prompts them to do what they do, but the key message is that these incidents only happen in countries which have liberal gun laws.' 17 The school where Artur A claimed 10 lives Credit: AFP 17 Police block the entrance to the school Credit: AFP Handguns were banned in Britain following the Hamilton, 43, opened fire on a class of 29 five and six-year-olds before turning the gun on himself after becoming obsessed with revenge over rumours spread locally that he was a pervert. Professor Wilson said: 'Hamilton was a very different type of shooter in that he hadn't gone to the school but wanted to take revenge on a community.' Columbine massacre Analysis shows that bullying is a huge driver in school killings. A study by the US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Centre reveals that seven in 10 classroom shooters are under the age of 18. It analyzed the behaviour of 35 attackers and found 80 per cent had been bullied by classmates with more than half the bullying lasting for weeks, months or years. America's most infamous school shooting was Columbine in Colorado in 1999 when 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 13 students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Both killers bore a grudge after being bullied and excluded from the cliques at high school, with Harris writing in his journal, "I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things" and Klebold writing "The lonely man strikes with absolute rage." The deadliest came in 2007 when student Cho, 23, was diagnosed with selective mutism and depression. A judge had previously declared him mentally ill and ordered him to attend treatment after he stalked two female students. Yet, he was allowed to buy weapons because he had not been institutionalised. Five years later, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot dead 20 children aged between six and seven and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The US has seen a tenfold rise in incidents involving guns in schools over the last 25 years, from 31 in 2000 to 332 last year. Nine of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in the US occurred after 2007. 17 Students are overcome with grief at a shrine to Columbine victims Credit: AP:Associated Press 17 Dylan Klebold opened fire on classmates after being bullied Credit: Reuters 17 Eric Harris wrote a chilling note in his journal Credit: Reuters Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute, says a rise in 'life stressors' such as hardships related to finances, employment, family and relationships drove some to 'act out or respond violently'. She added that "toxic masculinity" has contributed to the steep increase. "If we are trying to understand the root causes of gun violence, we need to start by understanding why people pick up firearms in the first place to inflict harm, regardless of the target of that harm," she said. Robin a psychology professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, studied shootings in school and colleges and found that the majority of perpetrators are white with a median age of 15, feel marginalised or bullied and use the events to take their own lives. She says they are likely to have a history of psychological problems, suffer long-term or acute rejection, such as a break-up, and often have a fascination with guns and violence. 'The individuals behind the Sandy Hook and Columbine shootings, among others, had been diagnosed with an assortment of psychological conditions,' Kowalski wrote for the Brookings Institution. 17 Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui shot 32 people in the deadliest US attack Credit: NBC 17 Students, family and supporters attend a silent vigil in honour of the 32 victims Credit: Alamy Death toll rising While school shootings are still unusual in Europe, the death toll is high. In May 2023, 13-year-old Kosta Kecmanovic gunned down eight of his fellow pupils and a security guard at his school in Belgrade after drawing up a 'hit list'. In a chilling postscript, Serbian police arrested ten teenagers in the week after the massacre after they posted plans for similar attacks on fellow pupils. Months later in the Czech Republic, postgraduate student David Kozak murdered 14 at Charles University in central Prague. He had previously dropped out of education. Earlier this year, 17 Teachers comfort a student after the Serbian shooting in 2023 claimed nine lives Credit: EPA 17 Belgrade police block the street to the school Credit: AP 17 David Kosak opened fire at his Prague university Credit: czech police While there is no comparison data with America, research by the Rockefeller Institute of Government shows the US had suffered 'more public mass shootings' than countries with similar levels of economic development. According to their study, 109 shootings were recorded in the US between 2020 and 2022, compared to six in France, five in Germany, three in Finland and two in the UK, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden during the same period. These figures reflect the severity of gun laws in different countries. According to the Small Arms Survey, there are an estimated 120.5 civilian firearms per 100 people in America. In contrast, the figure is 4.6 in England and Wales, 19.6 in France and Germany, 30 in Austria and 391 in Serbia. 17 Distraught mourners in Sweden, where a gunman opened fire at an adult education centre Credit: Getty 17 Rickard Andersson killed 10 students before turning the gun on himself Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
I delved into world of ‘righteous slaughter' school shooters & chilling psychological cocktail that drives them to kill
Experts reveal the reasons behind the chilling global rise in school shootings MASSACRE MONSTERS I delved into world of 'righteous slaughter' school shooters & chilling psychological cocktail that drives them to kill Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PICTURED staring intensely into the camera lens while cuddling his beloved cat, he looks just like any other young teen. But between dropping out of sixth form and turning 21, something dark grew in the mind of student Artur A - the man responsible for a shooting spree at his old school in Austria. 17 Artur A killed 10 in a rampage in his school in Graz, Austria 17 Lea Ilir Bajrami, 15, tragically lost her life in the attack in Graz Credit: Facebook 17 Emergency workers bring victims out of the school building Credit: AP On Tuesday, that festering resentment saw him walk into two classrooms at BORG Dreirschutzengasse high school in Graz and open fire with a Glock pistol and a shotgun. Today 10 families are mourning his victims, mostly teenagers who had their whole lives ahead of them before they were gunned down in cold blood. Lea Ilir Bajrami and Hana Akmadžićis, both 15, were among the six girls and three boys between 14 and 17 to be killed along with a 59-year-old teacher. Yet those grieving might never know the exact reason why their loved ones were murdered. School shootings are on the rise globally. In America, there were 83 school shootings last year compared to 36 in 2014. While shootings remain rare in Europe, analysis by The Sun shows 83 people have been shot dead in classrooms across the continent since Britain's worst atrocity at Dunblane Primary School in 1996. Thirty four of the victims were killed in the last two years following three major attacks, including this week's. The lone-wolf nature of perpetrators means there are often no warning bells. Eminent criminologist Professor David Wilson told The Sun: 'The motivation can be a desire for notoriety, for revenge or perhaps because the perpetrator has been radicalised in some way. Austria school shooter who killed 10 pupils revealed after leaving mum final video message "School shooters are often isolated from their peer groups, from the community in which they live and often have troubled relationships with their immediate family. Some will have a personality disorder or other underlying mental health issues. "The 64,000 dollar question is whether it's nature or nurture. For me, it is a messy combination of the two.' 'Justified' in killing Artur A, who killed himself in the school's toilets, is said to have been badly bullied by fellow pupils before leaving sixth form without qualifications. He was only known to police as a victim of pick-pocketing. In a 'farewell letter', he reportedly said goodbye to his parents and framed himself as the victim of bullying, reports Krone. He is also said to have recorded a video and sent it to his mum, speaking about the imminent atrocity, saying he was acting 'of his own free will' and asked her to look after his cat. 17 Hundreds of candles were lit in the main square of Graz Credit: AP 17 Mourners pay their respects at the makeshift shrine Credit: AFP Police later discovered a disassembled pipe bomb at his home. Professor Wilson says shooters often convince themselves that killing others is somehow justified. He said: 'There's very often a sense of righteous slaughter, they feel somehow justified in doing what they have done because they feel entitled to behave that way. 'There's a cocktail of factors unique to each shooter that prompts them to do what they do, but the key message is that these incidents only happen in countries which have liberal gun laws.' 17 The school where Artur A claimed 10 lives Credit: AFP 17 Police block the entrance to the school Credit: AFP Handguns were banned in Britain following the Dunblane massacre in 1996 when killer Thomas Hamilton stormed into a primary school, killing 16 children and their teacher. Hamilton, 43, opened fire on a class of 29 five and six-year-olds before turning the gun on himself after becoming obsessed with revenge over rumours spread locally that he was a pervert. Professor Wilson said: 'Hamilton was a very different type of shooter in that he hadn't gone to the school but wanted to take revenge on a community.' Columbine massacre Analysis shows that bullying is a huge driver in school killings. A study by the US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Centre reveals that seven in 10 classroom shooters are under the age of 18. It analyzed the behaviour of 35 attackers and found 80 per cent had been bullied by classmates with more than half the bullying lasting for weeks, months or years. America's most infamous school shooting was Columbine in Colorado in 1999 when 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 13 students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Both killers bore a grudge after being bullied and excluded from the cliques at high school, with Harris writing in his journal, "I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things" and Klebold writing "The lonely man strikes with absolute rage." The deadliest came in 2007 when student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 and wounded 17 others with two semi-automatic pistols at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Cho, 23, was diagnosed with selective mutism and depression. A judge had previously declared him mentally ill and ordered him to attend treatment after he stalked two female students. Yet, he was allowed to buy weapons because he had not been institutionalised. Five years later, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot dead 20 children aged between six and seven and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The US has seen a tenfold rise in incidents involving guns in schools over the last 25 years, from 31 in 2000 to 332 last year. Nine of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in the US occurred after 2007. 17 Students are overcome with grief at a shrine to Columbine victims Credit: AP:Associated Press 17 Dylan Klebold opened fire on classmates after being bullied Credit: Reuters 17 Eric Harris wrote a chilling note in his journal Credit: Reuters Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute, says a rise in 'life stressors' such as hardships related to finances, employment, family and relationships drove some to 'act out or respond violently'. She added that "toxic masculinity" has contributed to the steep increase. "If we are trying to understand the root causes of gun violence, we need to start by understanding why people pick up firearms in the first place to inflict harm, regardless of the target of that harm," she said. Robin a psychology professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, studied shootings in school and colleges and found that the majority of perpetrators are white with a median age of 15, feel marginalised or bullied and use the events to take their own lives. She says they are likely to have a history of psychological problems, suffer long-term or acute rejection, such as a break-up, and often have a fascination with guns and violence. 'The individuals behind the Sandy Hook and Columbine shootings, among others, had been diagnosed with an assortment of psychological conditions,' Kowalski wrote for the Brookings Institution. 17 Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui shot 32 people in the deadliest US attack Credit: NBC 17 Students, family and supporters attend a silent vigil in honour of the 32 victims Credit: Alamy Death toll rising While school shootings are still unusual in Europe, the death toll is high. In May 2023, 13-year-old Kosta Kecmanovic gunned down eight of his fellow pupils and a security guard at his school in Belgrade after drawing up a 'hit list'. In a chilling postscript, Serbian police arrested ten teenagers in the week after the massacre after they posted plans for similar attacks on fellow pupils. Months later in the Czech Republic, postgraduate student David Kozak murdered 14 at Charles University in central Prague. He had previously dropped out of education. Earlier this year, Sweden suffered a tragedy when a gunman opened fire at an adult education centre, killing 10 students before turning the gun on himself. Shooter Rickard Andersson, 35, was a society drop out who had previously applied for a maths course at the centre before leaving the course in 2021. 17 Teachers comfort a student after the Serbian shooting in 2023 claimed nine lives Credit: EPA 17 Belgrade police block the street to the school Credit: AP 17 David Kosak opened fire at his Prague university Credit: czech police While there is no comparison data with America, research by the Rockefeller Institute of Government shows the US had suffered 'more public mass shootings' than countries with similar levels of economic development. According to their study, 109 shootings were recorded in the US between 2020 and 2022, compared to six in France, five in Germany, three in Finland and two in the UK, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden during the same period. These figures reflect the severity of gun laws in different countries. According to the Small Arms Survey, there are an estimated 120.5 civilian firearms per 100 people in America. In contrast, the figure is 4.6 in England and Wales, 19.6 in France and Germany, 30 in Austria and 391 in Serbia. 17 Distraught mourners in Sweden, where a gunman opened fire at an adult education centre Credit: Getty
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Austrian school shooter murdered his neighbour's daughter during mass killing and left note asking his mother to look after his beloved cat
The Austrian school shooter who massacred 10 people at his former school on Tuesday killed his neighbour in the horrific attack, it has emerged. Artur A., a 21-year-old from a suburb of Graz, was revealed to have shot and killed a young girl who lived nearby as further details emerged of his abandoned plans to carry out a bombing and messages left behind for family. The former student of the school killed a teacher and nine pupils between the ages of 14 and 17 in Tuesday's rampage in the city of Graz. A further 11 were seriously injured before Artur took his own life at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school. The first victim was identified as 15-year-old Lea Ilir Bajrami earlier today. Police have said that Artur used two weapons, a shotgun and a pistol, which he owned legally. They said he was shooting for 13 minutes. It has since emerged that the shooter sent his mother a farewell video moments before the attack, pleading for forgiveness for 'what I'm about to do now'. Investigators said that his mother had opened the video 24 minutes after receiving it. Alarmed, she immediately notified police, Austrian news outlet Heute reports. But by that time, Artur had already carried out the deadly attack and taken his own life in a bathroom. In another message left behind, he was said to have blamed the school and bullying for the act. He also asked that his cat be looked after, Kronen Zeitung reports. Investigators said they found a non-functional pipe bomb and abandoned plans for a bombing in a search of the assailant's home. Ten people were killed and more than a dozen others were wounded as shots and screams rang out when a shooter stormed into his old classroom and gunned down students and teachers. Pictured: Special forces officer evacuates the school following the deadly shooting in Graz '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.' Asked whether the assailant had attacked victims randomly or targeted them specifically, Ruf said that is also under investigation and he didn't want to speculate. He said that wounded people were found on various levels of the school and, in one case, in front of the building. The student victims were aged between 14 and 17. A teacher was also killed. In new details, investigators said the gunman, who would have turned 22 in less than two weeks, did not have his own social media profiles. He was described as a loner who maintained contact with only one friend, who did not know he was planning to unleash carnage on Tuesday morning. Despite living in Kalsforf - population 8,000 - for five years, Artur did not get involved in any local events, activities or sports teams. He also appeared to have no social media profiles. 'He was a very inconspicuous young man,' said Kalsdorf mayor Manfred Komericky. 'It felt like he wasn't even noticed. Nobody really knew him. This is exactly the profile that we unfortunately see too often - silent, socially isolated recluses.' Artur had studied computer science at middle school and went on to business school until 2019, local media reports. He lived with his single mother in a suburb of Graz and had struggled to find work, Heute reports. Artur is understood to have been a former student at the school attacked on Tuesday, but had not completed his studies. Nine students were killed in Tuesday's attack - six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17, one of whom had Polish citizenship - as well as a teacher, police said. Another 11 people were wounded. The attacker took his own life. A 15-year-old Kosovan girl named Lea Ilir Bajrami is the first of his victims to be pictured. Mourning the teen in a Facebook post, her heartbroken aunt wrote: 'Today, my niece Lea tragically lost her life in the attack in Graz. 'We pray for her soul and express our gratitude to all those who share our pain during these difficult times.' Her grandfather Muhabi Bajrami wrote on Facebook: 'With a broken heart and great pain, we inform family, friends and relatives that our granddaughter tragically lost her life in the attack that occurred in Graz, Austria. 'We pray for her soul and express our gratitude to all those who share our pain in these difficult moments.' Shots and screams rang out as the shooter stormed into his old classroom blasting a shotgun and a pistol. In the country's worst mass school shooting, terror-stricken pupils pretended to be dead as they cowered in corridors and two classrooms or ran for their lives. Chilling video captured the sound of shots followed by screams as the gunman picked off his victims. One student fleeing from the shooter called her mother during the attack saying: 'Mama, mama, I'm running for my life!' The mother described the situation to reporters as unbearable, saying: 'It was so terrible, you can't even imagine it.' Another student reportedly witnessed three classmates being shot. His father said: 'He was terrified and lay down on the floor so the shooter would think he was dead.' In the country's worst mass school shooting, terror-stricken pupils pretended to be dead as they cowered in corridors and two classrooms or ran for their lives. Pictured: Special forces descended on the high school shortly before 10am local time after reports of gunshots Religious studies teacher Paul Nitsche told how he saw the gunman blasting out locks with a shotgun before entering and spraying staff and students with handgun bullets. 'It was hard to take in,' he said. 'This is something I had never even imagined before. That's what the situation was like as I was running down the stairwell - I thought to myself, this isn't real.' Another teacher, who asked not to be named, said: 'The whole community is in a state of shock. Schools should be places of safety and learning. But on this day it became more like something from a nightmare. 'Everyone was in a state of sheer terror.' Church bells rang across the city of Graz today, all local radio and TV broadcasts were interrupted and more than 900 public transport vehicles, including trams and buses, ground to a halt for 10am mark of remembrance. Two other schools in the city, including a nursery school, were being evacuated today after they received 'copycat' threats shortly before the planned minute's silence. Six female and three male victims died quickly, with one adult said to be among them. The tenth victim, a woman, succumbed to her injuries in hospital last night. The former pupil ended his deadly rampage when he turned a gun on himself in a toilet cubicle. One neighbour described him as 'inconspicuous', telling Profil news outlet: 'He was completely withdrawn. 'He wore his large headphones and a backpack whenever he went in and out. He never said hello, but he was never unpleasant in any way'. His mother has been described as a 'kind' and 'truly sweet' woman, with one neighbour commenting: 'I'm praying not only for the victims' families, but also for the mother.' Detectives are scouring data on his mobile phone and computers to build a picture of his recent movements and search for clues as to his motivation. Austria was plunged into a state of shock, with Chancellor Christian Stocker flying to Graz and declaring a 'dark day in the history of our country' as he announced three days of national mourning. More than 300 police and special forces descended on the school after 'screams and gunshots' were heard by emergency service workers during frantic calls at 10am local time. Armed Cobra police commandos charged into the four-storey building as part of an emergency response that included 65 ambulances, at least two air ambulances and 158 paramedics. Terrified pupils filmed themselves as gunshots rang out, and later as they fled down corridors as armed officers helped evacuate them from the 400-pupil school. Two schoolgirls were shown clinging on to each other as they ran from the school building. One teacher described being barricaded inside a classroom with pupils as they heard the gunshots. A distressing video showed victims lined up on stretchers outside of the school while dozens of paramedics tended to them. Some were covered by white sheets. Helicopter ambulances airlifted the most severely injured straight to Graz Regional Hospital. Desperate parents raced to the school as word of the massacre spread, with police reuniting them with evacuated survivors at a local hall. One father told how his son had survived by pretending to be dead. The man, named as Farag, told television channel Puls 24: 'Out of fear, he lay down to pretend that he was killed so that he wouldn't be targeted any more.' He added: 'Who did this? What kind of problem did he have?' One mother said: 'My son called me to say he was in school and that he was being shot at, and that he thinks he is going to die. I've only found out now, two hours later, that he's still alive.' Metin Ozden, who was in his kebab restaurant near the school, said: 'I've never seen so many emergency services in my entire life.' He said parents passing his restaurant were crying as they rushed to the school. Police commander Franz Ruff said 'at least' a dozen people had been injured in addition to those killed. Krone Zeitung newspaper previously reported that 28 people were taken to hospital, with at least two of them in an 'extremely critical condition'. Seven required emergency surgery. Some victims had reportedly been shot in the head. The numbers have not been officially verified. Police confirmed the killer had legally owned the weapons, with the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper reporting he had purchased one of the guns just days ago. Attacks in public are rare in the nation of almost 9.2 million people, which ranks among the ten safest countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. Last night the country's Chancellor said: 'A school... is a space of trust, of security, of the future. The fact that this safe space was shattered by such an act of violence leaves us speechless.' Austria's foreign minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said: 'As a mother of three children, my heart is breaking.' The local state governor Mario Kunasek said 'the green heart of Austria is crying', while president Alexander van der Bellen said: 'This horror cannot be captured in words.' Leaders from across Europe sent their condolences including Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky who said he was 'deeply saddened'. French education minister Elisabeth Borne said that one of those who died was a 'young fellow citizen' of France. At a news conference earlier in the day, Austria's interior minister Gerhard Karner refused to be drawn on 'speculation' in the case, saying it was the job of the criminal office to investigate. Police did confirm the killer was not 'known' to authorities before the attack. Last night Graz Cathedral held a service of reflection and the city's main square became a 'sea of lights' as candles were lit for the victims. In a nearby parish church, prayers were said for victims including one called Leo. 'We are lighting a light for Leo,' said Father Pesendorfer, who was in tears. Today, a nationwide minute's silence will be held at 10am local time. Flags on the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, where the president has his office, will fly at half mast. Yesterday afternoon long queues formed outside a blood donation centre in Graz. Johanna, 30, said: 'I'm here because I wanted to do something. I felt helpless.' Austria has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, with roughly 370,000 Austrians legally owning 1.5 million registered firearms, according to the interior ministry. Wild hunting is popular in the country and more than half of Austria's registered firearms fall under the category of weapons that can be owned by any adult without a licence.
