Graz, Austria, school shooting: What we know about the victims, shooter

A shooter has opened fire astatine a precocious schoolhouse successful Austria’s 2nd astir populous city, Graz. At slightest 10 radical person died, including the suspect, according to the city’s politician and police.

The onslaught connected Tuesday represents the Central European nation’s deadliest wide shooting extracurricular wars.

Here is what we cognize truthful far:

What happened — and where?

The shooting occurred successful the greeting astatine the BORG Dreierschutzengasse secondary schoolhouse successful Graz, the superior of the confederate Austrian state of Styria.

Police were called to the schoolhouse astatine astir 10am (0800 GMT) aft shots were heard there.

Graz is astir 200km (124 miles) southwest of Vienna and is location to historical landmarks similar the Uhrturm, oregon Clock Tower, connected the Schlossberg hill. The metropolis of much than 300,000 radical is the 2nd astir populous successful the state aft Vienna.

Known for its universities and colleges, Graz is simply a demographically divers city. Foreign nationals marque up a 4th of its colonisation with Croatians, Romanians, Germans and Bosnians the 4 largest groups, according to the city administration, arsenic of January.

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What bash we cognize astir the victims?

At slightest 10 radical person been killed, the Austrian quality bureau APA quoted Graz Mayor Elke Kahr arsenic saying.

The constabulary and Kahr independently confirmed that the fishy was among the dead.

Police said astatine slightest 30 radical were injured.

It is unclear whether the dormant and injured are chiefly students, teachers oregon others astatine the school.

What bash we cognize astir the shooter ?

Austrian newspapers Kurier and Salzburger Nachrichten newspapers identified the fishy arsenic a 22-year-old erstwhile student. Salzburger Nachrichten said helium had been a unfortunate of bullying.

APA and Kronen Zeitung, Austria’s largest newspaper, separately reported that the fishy was recovered dormant successful a bathroom.

The section constabulary wrote successful an X station that they were operating connected the presumption that the perpetrator was acting alone.

What are the authorities saying?

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker described the onslaught arsenic a “national tragedy” successful a statement posted connected X.

“The rampage astatine a schoolhouse successful Graz is simply a nationalist calamity that has profoundly shaken our full country,” helium wrote. “There are nary words for the symptom and grief that we each – each of Austria – are feeling close now.”

President Alexander Van der Bellen besides released a statement connected X, saying: “These were young radical who had their full lives up of them. A teacher who accompanied them connected their journey. There is thing that tin easiness the symptom felt by the parents, grandparents, siblings and friends of the murdered radical astatine this moment.”

What is the latest connected the ground?

The constabulary wrote that a constabulary cognition was nether mode astatine the scene.

The section constabulary wrote connected X: “The schoolhouse was evacuated and each persons were taken to a harmless gathering point” astatine 11:31am (09:31 GMT) connected Tuesday. They added that officers had secured the schoolhouse and they did not expect immoderate further information for anyone.

The constabulary added that authorities had earmarked ASKO Stadium, location of section shot nine ESK Graz, arsenic the designated gathering constituent for parents of students astatine the school. A constabulary helicopter, officials said, was being utilized successful the rescue operation.

Earlier, ambulances were seen extracurricular the school.

Have determination been shootings successful Austria successful the past?

Yes.

Mass shootings successful Austria day backmost to astatine slightest 1981 erstwhile a machinegun and grenade onslaught killed 2 radical and injured 30 astatine a synagogue. The onslaught targeted radical leaving a barroom mitzvah ceremony. In 1982, 2 Palestinian men calved successful Jordan and Iraq were sentenced to beingness imprisonment for that attack.

In 2013, an alleged cervid poacher changeable dormant 3 policemen and an ambulance operator portion being chased by the constabulary adjacent the Austrian municipality of Annaburg. The perpetrator was identified arsenic Alois Huber.

In 2016, a gunman opened occurrence astatine a performance successful the municipality of Nenzing, sidesplitting 2 radical and fatally shooting himself. Eleven radical were injured. The shooter, Gregor Schallert, had been progressive successful a heated statement with his woman earlier helium opened fire, according to section reports.

In 2020, 4 radical were killed and 23 were injured successful a shooting successful Vienna hours earlier the superior was to participate lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The gunman was changeable dormant by the police. Authorities described the shooter arsenic a sympathiser of the ISIL (ISIS) equipped group.

How communal is weapon ownership successful Austria?

Gun ownership is communal successful Austria with astir 30 firearms per 100 people, according to the autarkic probe task Small Arms Survey. This makes Austrians 1 of the astir heavy equipped populations successful Europe.

Machineguns and pump enactment guns are banned successful Austria.

Official authorisation is required to ain revolvers, pistols and semiautomatic weapons. To ain rifles and shotguns, Austrians necessitate a firearms licence, a valid hunting licence oregon a rank astatine accepted shooting clubs.