A farewell letter was found at the home of the former student on Tuesday, in a technical high school in the south, the Kronen-Zeitung newspaper said, with no details on the suicide content content, and police were not readily available to comment.
According to Austrian media, a woman, who was in critical condition, succumbed to her injuries, increasing the number of dead to 11.
A 17 -year -old Frenchman is among the dead, according to the French News Agency (AFP) citing the victim’s father. “My son is among the victims. Police came at 18:30 (local time, 19:30 in Greece) to let us know, “the 17 -year -old’s father told AFP, asking to maintain his anonymity.
“No one in Austria has a mood for a celebration.” In these words, Chancellor Christian Stoker preached a three -day national mourning for the highly tragedy, describing today’s “dark day” for the country.
Chancellor Stoker: “Country stands silent”
“Today is a dark day in the history of our country. The attack is a national tragedy, which saddens us deeply. The country is currently standing silent. Nine people suddenly lost their lives. There are no words to soften this pain. Our country stands silent. The school must be a place of education. Resolving the differences by force should never become part of our lives, “said Stoker of Graz and declared a three -day national mourning. “No one in Austria has a mood for a celebration” anyway, he said and added that tomorrow at 11:00 (Greek time) a minute’s silence will be respected throughout the country.
The profile of the perpetrator
Nine dead – six girls and three boys, including an adult – and 12 wounded are the sad report of the Graz Borg school attack, the second largest city in Austria, located in the canton of Styria, corresponding to 14 -year -olds. The perpetrator, Artur A. A 21 -year -old Austrian, a resident of the area and a former student in the same school, but he had not graduated, invaded two classes, where he killed eight people, also killed a student outside the building and then committed suicide at the toilets.
More than 300 police officers were called to the scene, including 65 executives of the Cobra Special Forces, after shooting around 10am. Local time, at school. Police and ambulances arrived in a matter of minutes and authorities excluded the school. Relatives of victims and students are being hospitalized, authorities said.
According to figures released by the Styria Police Department, the perpetrator had no criminal record, had not been employed by the authorities and legally possessed the weapons. “Many cases and speculations are currently being formulated and we need to provide accurate information,” Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Carner stressed, stressing that the motives of the perpetrator remain unclear while warning of circulating false videos on social media.
According to police, however, it is estimated that the 21 -year -old was acting on his own when he stormed into the school with two weapons – a carbine and a pistol – and opened fire.
The Salzburger Nachrichten reported in its unconfirmed report that the alleged perpetrator had fallen victim to bullying. Armed with a pistol and a shotgun, he opened fire on students in two classes, one of which was once his, he said.
How did the authorities react
The police spokesman said the security forces had put the situation under control within 17 minutes and created the necessary “rescue chain” in order to evacuate the site and to provide immediate access to rescue workshops and ambulances. The Red Cross immediately mobilized 160 members and 65 ambulances, while specialist psychologists are found with students and parents who have been shocked. “The attack shows how important preventive measures are for schools and parents. We need to deepen these measures and expand them, “the spokesman said, while at the same time the debate is opening about the gun law, which in Austria is one of the most liberals in Europe, resulting in about 30 out of 100 citizens legally armed.
At the center of the gun legislation
Julia Emperner, a specialist in extremism at the Think-Tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said the incident appears to be the worst armed attack on a school in Austrian post-war history, describing such armed attacks rare compared to some countries, including United States.
“I am deeply shocked that young people have lost their lives so abruptly,” German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, one of the foreign leaders who expressed their distress for the armed attack, said in a message. “We hope that their loved ones will find comfort in the company of families and friends in this dark time.”
Four people were killed and 22 were injured when a convicted jihadist fired shots in downtown Vienna in 2020. In November 1997, a 36 -year -old engineer shot and killed six people in the city of Mutterdorf before committing suicide.
