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Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Austrian police search for answers after mass shooting in school
Austrian authorities were seeking clues on Wednesday to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man acted alone, armed with a shotgun and a pistol. They are scouring his home and the internet to understand why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. 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 national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real.'" Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Authorities said the suspect did not complete his studies at the school. Police work near a school where several people died in a shooting. Photo: AFP Police said he left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack and that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Ennio Resnik, a pupil at the school, said students and teachers needed time to come to terms with what had happened, and asked that they be left in peace for a few days. "It's surreal, you can't describe or really understand it," he said, speaking to reporters outside an events centre near the school where students were being offered counselling. Some of the students gathered there cried, while others held each other. SECOND SCHOOL THREATENED Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (centre) attends a memorial service. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told ORF on Tuesday night. Police were on the alert for potential copycat attacks and they had received a threat against another school in Graz late on Tuesday, he said. In the earlier attack, about 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, says the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. The attack sparked calls for its gun laws to be tightened, including one from Graz's mayor. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. "If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed," he said. People light candles at a makeshift memorial site. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. Reuters
Muscat Daily
a day ago
- Muscat Daily
Austria mourns in aftermath of school shooting
Graz, Austria – Austrian police found a non-functional homemade bomb and a farewell letter at the home of a 21-year-old gunman who killed 10 people in a mass shooting at a high school in Graz before taking his own life, authorities said on Wednesday. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. The suspect, armed with a shotgun and pistol, opened fire on Tuesday at Dreierschützengasse high school. He was a former student of the same school although he did not complete his studies, authorities said. Investigators look for motive A minute of silence was observed at 10am local time on Wednesday for one of Austria's deadliest attacks post-World War II. According to Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's Interior Ministry, the shooter's letter bid farewell to his parents. 'But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter,' Ruf said, adding that investigations are ongoing. The police are also looking into whether the victims were targeted or chosen at random. Austria is observing three days of national mourning with vigils being held in Graz, where locals lit candles and laid flowers in the city's main square in honour of the victims. Many lined up to donate blood for the survivors. What are Austria's gun laws? Meanwhile, the shooter's use of legally owned firearms has sparked renewed debate over Austria's gun laws. Austria has nearly 30 civilian firearms per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey research project. The Alpine country has banned automatic weapons and pump action guns, while revolvers, pistols and semi-automatic weapons are allowed with a permit. Rifles and shotguns are permitted with a firearms license, a valid hunting licence or for members of shooting clubs. DW
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Austrians search for answers after mass school shooting
Austrian authorities are searching for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues to why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. The incident was hard to properly 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 national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real'." Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Austrian authorities said the suspect never completed his studies at the school. He left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack, police said, adding that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told ORF on Tuesday night. About 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, says the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. The attack sparked calls for its gun laws to be tightened, including one from Graz's mayor. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. "If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed," he said. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Austrian police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Austrian authorities are searching for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues to why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. The incident was hard to properly 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 national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real'." Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Austrian authorities said the suspect never completed his studies at the school. He left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack, police said, adding that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told ORF on Tuesday night. About 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, says the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. The attack sparked calls for its gun laws to be tightened, including one from Graz's mayor. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. "If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed," he said. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Austrian police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Austrian authorities are searching for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues to why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. The incident was hard to properly 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 national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real'." Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Austrian authorities said the suspect never completed his studies at the school. He left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack, police said, adding that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told ORF on Tuesday night. About 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, says the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. The attack sparked calls for its gun laws to be tightened, including one from Graz's mayor. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. "If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed," he said. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Austrian police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Austrian authorities are searching for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues to why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. The incident was hard to properly 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 national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real'." Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Austrian authorities said the suspect never completed his studies at the school. He left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack, police said, adding that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told ORF on Tuesday night. About 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, says the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. The attack sparked calls for its gun laws to be tightened, including one from Graz's mayor. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. "If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed," he said. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Austrian police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) beyondblue 1300 22 4636
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Austria Has Lots of Guns, Little Gun Violence, and New Questions
Some of the most popular chat threads on an online forum for weapons enthusiasts in Austria dissect the latest releases in firearms accessories, like silencers and targeting sights, or review the country's shooting ranges. On Tuesday afternoon, a relatively sleepy discussion on 'Gun law/reform attempts' stirred to life. 'A new era regarding gun ownership is beginning,' a user with the screen name AUG-Andy wrote in German on the site, 'Pulverdampf.' 'It's a no-brainer now, especially since the majority of the population is certainly behind it. The shooting happened at a bad time. Now all that helps is prayer.' 'The shooting' in question shocked Austria on Tuesday morning. A former student at a high school in Graz, Austria's second-largest city, opened fire with a handgun and a shotgun on campus. He killed or mortally wounded at least 10 people, the authorities said, before apparently killing himself in a school bathroom. It was Austria's deadliest school shooting in memory, and an unusual case of a mass-casualty attack on schoolchildren in Europe. It was also a jolt to a country with a rare gun culture — in comparison with many of its western European neighbors, but also with the United States. But that may not lead to the sort of sweeping changes to gun laws that many online commentators fear. Austrians have the 12th-highest per-person gun ownership rate in the world, according to the Small Arms Survey, an independent research group based in Geneva. They also have relatively low rates of gun violence. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
2 days 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.
