Latest news with #Styria
The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
Austrian school shooter an introverted fan of online shooting games, say police
The 21-year-old man who carried out Austria 's worst school shooting was an introverted fan of online shooting games, criminal investigators said on Thursday. The Austrian, identified by local media as Arthur A, killed 10 people on Tuesday before killing himself at his former high school in the southern city of Graz. Police found discarded plans for a bomb attack and a non-functional pipe bomb during a search of his home after the shooting in Graz, the capital of the state of Styria. Police are still trying to establish a motive, but Michael Lohnegger, head of Styria's criminal investigation office, said findings indicated the man was very introverted and that his great passion was online first-person shooting games. "He led an extremely withdrawn life; he didn't want to take part in activities in normal life outside in the real world, he preferred to withdraw into the virtual space," he told reporters. Lohnegger said the man's closest friend had been questioned and that the shooter had social contacts with fellow online gamers. Police are checking whether he had assistance from other people in the run-up to the crime. Police said the rampage at the school lasted about seven minutes and that the man took his own life in a toilet about 10 minutes after beginning the attack. A few minutes earlier, the man entered the school with a rucksack, then went into a bathroom to prepare for his assault. Then he put on a weapon belt with a hunting knife, donned shooting glasses and a headset and armed himself with a Glock pistol and sawn-off shotgun, police said. He opened fire at random on people on the second and third floors of the school, shooting off the locks to the doors in one of the classrooms he attacked, according to Lohnegger. Most of the victims were apparently unknown to the shooter, but he did know one of the teachers who died, police said. It was unclear if that fact played a role in her death. Police are alert to potential copycat attacks, and on Thursday, a man caused alarm at Vienna's Technical University by throwing a package into the entrance area and shouting it was going to explode. No threat was identified. Psychological evaluation The shooter acquired the guns legally in April and May after passing a psychological evaluation for a necessary permit, and had practised shooting at a gun club since March, police said. Authorities said the man failed to graduate from the school, and Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that after dropping out, he attempted to join the army but was deemed psychologically unsuitable due to his introversion. Local media reported that the man, who lived with his mother on the outskirts of Graz, felt bullied at school and wanted revenge. Police declined to confirm this. "There's no evidence from his private life that he ever expressed any anger or displeasure towards the school, pupils or teaching staff," Lohnegger said. Neighbours and officials in the commuter town of Kalsdorf bei Graz, where he lived, described a withdrawn, slight man who usually wore a cap and headphones, covering himself up. Of over a dozen local residents spoken to about the shooter, few wanted to talk at all. Some said they had seen him, but none said they knew him. The man left behind a farewell note and video in which he apologised to his family for his actions and thanked them, but they gave no indication of his motives, police said. Questions about the bullying allegations at the Dreierschuetzengasse school where the 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." If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
BreakingNews.ie
12 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Austrian school shooter planned attack but motive still unclear, officials say
A man who killed nine students and a teacher at his former school in Austria and then took his own life planned the attack in detail, investigators have revealed. However, he appears to have shot his victims at random, and investigators have still not been able to ascertain his motive. Advertisement A police officer guards the entrance of a school where a former student opened fire (Darko Bandic/AP) The 21-year-old had left the BORG Dreierschutzengasse high school in Graz three years previously, breaking off his studies after attending for three years, police say. They said they knew of no personal connection between the gunman and the students he had shot, but that one of the two teachers he shot had once taught him. Officials were still investigating whether that was a factor in the attack. The incident prompted Austria to declare three days of national mourning and large numbers of candles have been laid in Graz's main square and outside the school. Advertisement The assailant, an Austrian man who lived with his mother near Graz and whom officials have declined to identify, used a Mercury double-barrelled shotgun and a Glock 19 handgun in the shooting. People commemorate the victims of a shooting at a school (Darko Bandic/AP) Michael Lohnegger, the head of Styria province's criminal police office, said that he arrived at the school on Tuesday morning with a backpack containing the weapons, and put on equipment including shooting glasses and a headset in the bathroom before starting a roughly seven-minute shooting spree. The gunman opened fire indiscriminately on the building's third floor before shooting open the locked door of a fourth-floor classroom and again firing indiscriminately, Mr Lohnegger told a news conference. Mr Lohnegger said that the gunman had enough ammunition to continue shooting and it was unclear why he had not. Advertisement The gunman then returned to the bathroom and fatally shot himself in the head. A search of his home uncovered a farewell letter and a video, which Mr Lohnegger said added up to 'an apology directed to his family for the crime and a general thank you', but offered 'no indication for the motive'. Investigators have yet to ascertain a motive for the shooting (Darko Bandic/AP) Authorities also found a handwritten note that showed he had planned the attack 'down to the smallest detail', setting out how he would proceed but giving no date for the crime. The note had suggested that he had lacked enough time to build a fully functional pipe bomb. Investigators had found one, but it would not have worked. Advertisement Mr Lohnegger said a picture had emerged of a 'very introverted person' who largely did not take part in real-world activities and that his great passion was playing online first-person shooter games. 'But even here, there is no information from his personal surroundings that he ever expressed any anger or resentment towards the school, students or teachers,' he added. The man had no previous police record and 'there were definitely no particular problems with him at this school'. The gunman was in unspecified vocational training at the time of the attack, investigators added. Advertisement Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen attends a wreath-laying ceremony after a former student opened fire, killing 10 people and injuring many others before taking his own life (Darko Bandic/AP) He had bought the shotgun legally in Graz in early April and the handgun was bought from another shop in the city in late May. He had a licence to own the weapons that required a report from a psychological expert, which was allegedly produced in March. The gunman also took part in shooting practice five times in March at a shooting club in Graz using a hired firearm, Mr Lohnegger said. Six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 and a teacher were killed in the attack. Eleven people were wounded and authorities said that their lives were not in danger.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Austrian school shooter planned attack in detail but his motive remains unclear, investigators say
The former student who killed nine students and a teacher at a school in Austria and then took his own life planned the attack in detail, but he appears to have shot his victims at random and investigators still haven't been able to ascertain his motive, officials said Thursday. The 21-year-old had left the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz three years ago, breaking off his studies after attending for three years, police said. They said they knew of no personal connection between the gunman and the students he shot, but that one of the two teachers he shot had once taught him. They were still investigating whether that was a factor. The attack prompted Austria to declare three days of national mourning, and large numbers of candles have been laid in Graz's main square and outside the school. The assailant, an Austrian who lived with his mother near Graz and whom officials have declined to identify, used a Mercury double-barreled shotgun and a Glock 19 handgun in the shooting. Michael Lohnegger, the head of Styria province's criminal police office, said that he arrived at the school Tuesday morning with a backpack containing the weapons, and put on equipment including shooting glasses and a headset in a bathroom before starting a roughly seven-minute shooting spree. He opened fire indiscriminately on the building's third floor before shooting open the locked door of a fourth-floor classroom and again firing indiscriminately, Lohnegger told a news conference. Lohnegger said that he had enough ammunition to continue shooting and it was unclear why he hadn't; the assailant then returned to the bathroom and shot himself fatally in the head. A search of his home uncovered a farewell letter and video, which Lohnegger said added up to 'an apology directed to his family for the crime and a general thank-you,' but offered no 'indication for a motive.' They also found a handwritten note that showed he had planned the attack 'down to the smallest detail" — setting out how he would proceed, but giving no date for the crime. It suggested that he had lacked enough time to build a fully functional pipe bomb, and investigators found one that wouldn't have worked. Lohnegger said a picture had emerged of 'a very introverted person' who largely didn't take part in real-world activities, and that his great passion was taking part in online first-person shooter games. 'But even here, there is no information from his personal surroundings that he ever expressed any anger or resentment toward the school, students or teachers,' he added. The man had no previous police record and 'there were definitely no particular problems with him at this school.' The shooter was in unspecified vocational training at the time of the attack, investigators said. He had bought the shotgun legally in Graz in early April, and the handgun from another shop in the city in late May. He had a license to own weapons that required a report from a psychological expert, which apparently was produced in March. Starting in March, he took part in shooting practice five times at a shooting club in Graz, using a hired firearm, Lohnegger said. The slain students were six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17. Eleven people were wounded in the attack, and authorities said on Wednesday that their lives weren't in danger. ___
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Austria school shooting: What we know about the victims and shooter
A lone gunman killed nine people, including students and one adult, and injured 12 at a school in Graz, Austria, marking one of the country's worst mass shootings. The shooting occurred at the BORG Dreierschutzengasse secondary school around 10 a.m., prompting a large-scale emergency response. The shooter was identified as a 21-year-old former student of the school who legally owned the two firearms used in the attack and is believed to have taken his own life in the school's toilet. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the shooter's motives, with Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirming that six of the deceased were female and three were male, in addition to the shooter. Austria has declared a three-day period of national mourning, with no public events to be held in the state of Styria, as leaders express grief and shock over the tragedy.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Austria school shooting: Everything we know so far about attack which killed nine and injured 12
Austrians are in mourning after a lone gunman killed nine people at a school in Graz and injured 12 more on Tuesday morning in one of the country's worst ever mass shootings. Austrian chancellor Christian Stocker said the attack marked a 'dark day in the history of our country' and a 'national tragedy which has hit us deeply'. The country's president, Alexander Van der Bellen, said that "this horror cannot be captured in words". "These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their way," he said. Here's what we know about the tragic shooting so far. Where did it happen? The shooting occurred around 10am at the BORG Dreierschutzengasse secondary school, near the historic centre of Graz. Graz is the capital of the state of Styria, and Austria 's second-most populous city, with a population of about 300,000 people. What do we know about the victims? Nine people, including students, were killed in the shooting, according to police. Graz mayor Elke Kahr said at least seven of the dead were students, and one was an adult. A further 12 people were injured. The Austrian Red Cross told local newspaper Kronen Zeitung that nine of those people were seriously injured, and two were in a critical condition. The injured victims were taken to several hospitals across the city. In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, authorities confirmed few details about the victims, and did not release their ages. Austrian interior minister Gerhard Karner said six of those killed in the shooting were females, and three were males. The tenth casualty was the shooter, he said. What do we know about the shooter? The shooter was a 21-year-old who lived in the Graz area, police said. He was a former pupil at BORG, but Mr Karner said he failed to complete his studies. The former student used two firearms in the attack, which were being inspected by police. Authorities said the man had legally owned the weapons. Police said they believed the gunman took his own life in the school's toilet. Mr Karner said 'everything else is still speculation', and investigators were working to find out the shooter's motives. What is happening now? Austria has declared a three-day period of national mourning, following one of the largest peacetime tragedies in the country's history. The governor of Styria, Mario Kunasek, said no public events will be held in the state for the mourning period. The police investigation into the shooting will continue.
