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Egypt Independent
an hour ago
- Egypt Independent
Gunman opens fire in Austrian school, killing 10 and throwing country into shock
A shooter opened fire at a high school in the Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday, killing 10 people, mostly teenagers, in one of the worst rampages in the country's history. Austrian police and hospital officials confirmed the fatalities, raising the death toll from an earlier figure of nine. Of the 10 victims, nine were students aged between 15 and 17. The tenth victim was a female teacher, Graz police spokesperson Sabri Yorgun told CNN. Interior minister Gerhard Karner said at a news conference that six victims were female and three were male. Twelve students were injured in the incident, some of them seriously, Karner added. Graz University Hospital later said one of the seriously injured adults died on Tuesday evening. The suspect – a 21-year-old Austrian male who had previously attended the school but not graduated – used two weapons, a shotgun and a pistol, to carry out the killing spree, before fatally shooting himself in a bathroom, authorities said at the news conference. Officials would not give a motive for the gunman, who they say acted alone. Police believe he obtained the weapons he used legally. The weapons were seized at the scene and are subject to forensic examinations. Officers are also continuing to conduct interviews as they investigate the circumstances of the incident, police added. In an update on Wednesday, police said that after searching the suspect's home, they found a suicide note as well as a non-functional pipe bomb. 'We were able to start the investigation immediately after the killing spree. In the meantime, we have also carried out a house search at the home address of the 21-year-old suspect from the district of Graz and the surrounding area and have been able to establish that there was a suicide note both in digital form via video message and in handwritten form,' police spokesperson Yorgun told CNN. 'We were also able to find and secure a pipe bomb – albeit a non-functioning pipe bomb – at his home.' The shooting pitched Austria into a state of shock and disbelief. Chancellor Christian Stocker announced three days of national mourning, writing on X: 'There are no words for the pain and grief.' Officers first responded to the reports of 'several' suspected gunshots at the Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium Dreierschützengasse school in the northwest of Graz at around 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET). Several vehicles and a police helicopter were deployed to the site. The school was evacuated and the area was secured, with no further danger expected, the police said on social media. Police said later in a statement that special forces were also deployed to the scene. Stocker expressed horror at the shooting, saying: 'The rampage at a school in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country. This inconceivable act suddenly tore young people from the life they still had ahead of them.' One of the victims was a 17-year-old French high school student, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said, 'Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends.' Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said: 'It is difficult to bear when schools become places of death and violence.' Several vigils for the victims took place Tuesday evening in Graz, including one coordinated by local youth organizations. Hundreds gathered in Graz's central square, but despite the large crowd of mourners, the Hauptplatz was nearly silent. 'I keep thinking about the image of the families, friends and relatives who will never find an answer or explanation – and that's just tragic,' Graz Mayor Elke Kahr told CNN on Tuesday night. 'There are 350 children at the school. And one cannot fathom they had to wait for so long… the parents who didn't know whether their child was still alive or not. That's just awful.' 'I am very upset that we now have situations in Austria that are so violent, so aggressive,' Eva Buchhalter-heuss, a Graz resident told Reuters after attending a memorial service at St. Vinzenz Church. 'It was terrible for me because I also have five children and one of my daughters also went to this school,' Doriz Prato, another Graz resident, told Reuters. 'I can't even imagine what these parents are going through now.' On Wednesday morning, at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. Eastern) a national minute of silence was observed, timed 24 hours after police received the first calls about shots being fired. Gun violence is rare in Austria, along with most central European countries. The country's rate of firearm homicides was just 0.1 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, compared to 4.5 per 100,000 people in the United States. But Austria's gun ownership is higher than most European Union countries; there are 30 civilian firearms owned for every 100 citizens, according to the Small Arms Survey, a research institute based in Switzerland. A small number of high-profile violent incidents have taken place there in recent years. Last October, the mayor of a northern Austrian town was shot dead, along with another victim. In February, a 23-year-old man stabbed five passersby in southern Austria in what police said was a random attack. This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN's Fred Pleitgen, Lauren Kent and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Police seek answers as Austria mourns victims of one of the worst shootings in its history
Police in Austria were hunting for clues on Wednesday after a gunman opened fire at his former high school a day earlier, killing nine students and a teacher in a deadly spree that stunned the country. Scores of shocked people gathered near the scene of the crime to observe a minute of silence 24 hours after the rampage in the city of Graz, mourning the victims of one of the worst school shootings in the country's history. Authorities confirmed they had searched the home of the 21-year-old Austrian national who attacked the Dreierschützengasse secondary school in the city, the capital of the southern Austrian province of Styria. Graz police spokesman Sabri Yorgun told CNN that officers had discovered a non-functional makeshift bomb, a suicide note and a video message at the shooter's home. 'We have carried out a search operation at the home address of the… suspect from the district of Graz… and have been able to establish that there was a suicide note both in digital form, via video message, and in handwritten form,' Yorgun told CNN Wednesday morning, adding that the items had been secured to assess the suspect's motives. Of the 10 people who died in the shooting, nine were students aged between 14 and 17, officials said. One of those was found dead outside the school when officers arrived on Tuesday morning. The bodies of the other students, as well as several other injured children, were found inside the building. All of those killed were Austrian citizens, apart from one who was a Polish national. The tenth victim, who died on Tuesday night in hospital, was a female school teacher, Yorgun confirmed. A further 11 people, aged between 15 and 26, were injured in the incident, including eight people with Austrian citizenship, two with Romanian citizenship and one with Iranian citizenship, police said Wednesday. According to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, one of the victims was a French student. 'Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends,' Barrot said. CNN understands that all those who were injured in Tuesday's attack are now in a stable condition, including nine who remain in intensive care. One victim with facial injuries requires a follow-up operation, while another has been left needing knee surgery. Officers first responded to reports of 'several' suspected gunshots at the school in the northwest of Graz at around 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) on Tuesday. Several vehicles and a police helicopter were then deployed to the site. The suspect, who had previously attended the school but not graduated, used a rifle and a handgun to carry out the killing spree, before fatally shooting himself in a bathroom, authorities said at a Tuesday news conference. Gun violence is rare in Austria, along with most central European countries. The country's rate of firearm homicides was just 0.1 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, compared to 4.5 per 100,000 people in the United States. But Austria's gun ownership is higher than most European Union countries; there are 30 civilian firearms owned for every 100 citizens, according to the Small Arms Survey, a research institute based in Switzerland. A small number of high-profile violent incidents have taken place there in recent years. Last October, the mayor of a northern Austrian town was shot dead, along with another victim. In February, a 23-year-old man stabbed five passersby in southern Austria in what police said was a random attack. CNN's Rob Picheta, Lauren Kent and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Police seek answers as Austria mourns victims of one of the worst shootings in its history
Police in Austria were hunting for clues on Wednesday after a gunman opened fire at his former high school a day earlier, killing nine students and a teacher in a deadly spree that stunned the country. Scores of shocked people gathered near the scene of the crime to observe a minute of silence 24 hours after the rampage in the city of Graz, mourning the victims of one of the worst school shootings in the country's history. Authorities confirmed they had searched the home of the 21-year-old Austrian national who attacked the Dreierschützengasse secondary school in the city, the capital of the southern Austrian province of Styria. Graz police spokesman Sabri Yorgun told CNN that officers had discovered a non-functional makeshift bomb, a suicide note and a video message at the shooter's home. 'We have carried out a search operation at the home address of the… suspect from the district of Graz… and have been able to establish that there was a suicide note both in digital form, via video message, and in handwritten form,' Yorgun told CNN Wednesday morning, adding that the items had been secured to assess the suspect's motives. Of the 10 people who died in the shooting, nine were students aged between 15 and 17, officials said. One of those was found dead outside the school when officers arrived on Tuesday morning. The bodies of the other students, as well as several other injured children, were found inside the building. The tenth victim, who died on Tuesday night in hospital, was a female school teacher, Yorgun confirmed. According to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, one of the victims was a French student. 'Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends,' Barrot said. CNN understands that all those who were injured in Tuesday's attack are now in a stable condition, including nine who remain in intensive care. One victim with facial injuries requires a follow-up operation, while another has been left needing knee surgery. Officers first responded to reports of 'several' suspected gunshots at the school in the northwest of Graz at around 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) on Tuesday. Several vehicles and a police helicopter were then deployed to the site. The suspect, who had previously attended the school but not graduated, used a rifle and a handgun to carry out the killing spree, before fatally shooting himself in a bathroom, authorities said at a Tuesday news conference. Gun violence is rare in Austria, along with most central European countries. The country's rate of firearm homicides was just 0.1 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, compared to 4.5 per 100,000 people in the United States. But Austria's gun ownership is higher than most European Union countries; there are 30 civilian firearms owned for every 100 citizens, according to the Small Arms Survey, a research institute based in Switzerland. A small number of high-profile violent incidents have taken place there in recent years. Last October, the mayor of a northern Austrian town was shot dead, along with another victim. In February, a 23-year-old man stabbed five passersby in southern Austria in what police said was a random attack. CNN's Rob Picheta, Lauren Kent and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Eight Killed In Austrian School Shooting, Student Assailant Kills Himself
Last Updated: Police launched a massive operation and special forces were deployed. At least eight people were killed and several injured after a student allegedly opened fire at a school in Austria, as per local media reports. The shooter also shot himself dead. Following the shooting incident, the police launched a massive operation at the secondary school in Austria's second-biggest city Graz. Police spokesperson Sabri Yorgun said special forces were deployed at the school, The Sun reported. Authorities have started the probe but they believe that multiple guns were used in the shooting. 'Currently, a police operation is underway… The reason for the deployment was that gunshots were heard in the building," the police said on X, confirming the attack in Graz According to Austrian public broadcaster ORF, citing police, a student was behind the shooting, which led to the school's evacuation. Several serious injuries included students and teachers, according to police spokesman Fritz Grundnig quoted by the media. Attacks in public are rare in the Alpine nation of almost 9.2 million people. In February, a stabbing left a teenager dead and five other people injured in southern Austria, with a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker held. Location : Austria
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
At least five killed in school shooting in Austria
VIENNA — At least five people were killed and several others were injured in a school shooting in the southern Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday . Several others have been injured, including students and teachers, state broadcaster ORF reported citing local press. The suspected perpetrator, considered to be a student at this stage, has committed suicide, reports claim. A police operation was under way on Dreierschuetzengasse street, which has a secondary school. However, the authorities have refused to make further comments. Graz Police spokesperson Sabri Yorgun said special forces were among those sent to the high school after a call was received at 10 am, and that authorities were working to gain an overview of what had happened. Graz is a city of some 300,000 and is the capital of the southern Austrian province of Styria. — Euronews
