Glaz, Austria (AP) – A former student opened fire at a school in Austria’s second-largest city on Tuesday, injuring 10 individuals and killing himself after the attack, authorities reported.
Details regarding the motive of the 21-year-old man, who had no prior criminal record, remain unclear. Police stated he used two legally owned firearms.
“Today marks a tragic day in our nation’s history,” remarked Austrian Prime Minister Christian Tocker, addressing reporters in Glaz, a city housing approximately 300,000 residents in southeastern Austria.
He characterized the incident as a “national tragedy that deeply shocks us,” announcing three days of national mourning and lowering the Austrian flag to half-mast on official buildings. A nationwide moment of silence in honor of the victims is set for Wednesday morning.
Special forces were dispatched to Borgdreischzsengas High School, located about a kilometer (over half a mile) from the Glaz History Center, shortly after shots were reported around 10 AM. Over 300 police officers were deployed to evacuate the school. Footage shows students fleeing as armed officers secured the area.
Authorities confirmed that order was restored within 17 minutes.
The shooter, identified as a 21-year-old local resident, acted alone, and his name has not been disclosed. Regional Police Chief Gerald Ortner noted that both long guns and handguns were recovered from the site, and the attacker had legally owned them. He ended his life in a bathroom.
Home Minister Gerhard Kerner indicated the shooter was a current student at the school, although he did not specify when the individual had left school or their current status. Kerner later shared that the victims included six women and three men, while 12 others sustained injuries. The state hospital in Glaz later confirmed that an additional female victim had succumbed to her injuries, according to Austrian news sources.
The Austrian Red Cross reported that 65 ambulances were sent to the scene alongside 158 emergency personnel to assist the injured, and 40 trained psychologists were providing counseling to students and parents. They also encouraged locals to donate blood.
Metin Özden, who was at a nearby Kebab restaurant, heard police sirens followed by a helicopter overhead. He recounted seeing distressed parents on his way to the school.
This incident marks the deadliest attack in Austria’s history since World War II.
In 2020, four individuals were killed in a shooting in Vienna, where the assailant, who had links to the Islamic State Group, was also killed in the incident. Additionally, over 20 others, including police officers, sustained injuries.
In June 2015, a man drove through downtown Glaz in an SUV, taking three lives and injuring more than 30 people.
Austria has relatively liberal gun laws within the European Union, with individuals aged 18 and over allowed to purchase certain firearms, such as rifles and shotguns, without special permission. Gun dealers must ensure that the buyer is not banned from possessing firearms and that the weapon is registered in the Central Weapon Registry.
Acquiring other types of firearms, like semi-automatic weapons, is more complex, requiring a gun ownership card and a firearm pass.
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Moolson, Kirsten Greesber, and Stephanie Dazio contributed to this report from Berlin, while Vanessa Gerra provided assistance from Warsaw, Poland.
Source: apnews.com