“SHOCKED”
Police stated the alleged perpetrator was an Austrian from the Graz area who used two legally owned weapons.
He was a former pupil on the secondary college, however by no means completed his research there, Inside Minister Gerhard Karner advised reporters.
Some Austrian media claimed that the suspect had been bullied, whereas tv stations mentioned the convenience with which Austrians can purchase firearms and the quantity in circulation within the nation.
Ennio, a scholar on the college, advised AFP on Wednesday that “there are tales from classmates who had been usually harassed, and in a scenario like this, it is indescribably troublesome.
“We ask that we be left in peace in the present day in order that we will mourn collectively and attempt to perceive the scenario.”
One resident, initially from the USA, whose kids attend a close-by major college and nursery college, stated she was “shocked”.
“In my house nation, it occurs extra usually, as we all know, however that it occurs right here is exceptional,” she stated, declining to present her identify.
“Graz is a protected metropolis,” stated Roman Klug, 55, who stated he lived near the college that he stated was “identified for its openness and variety”.
RARE ATTACK
Condolences poured in from European leaders, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen.
Gun violence is uncommon in Austria, which is house to nearly 9.2 million folks and ranks among the many 10 most secure international locations on the earth, in response to the International Peace Index.
Europe has been shaken by assaults at colleges and universities in recent times that weren’t linked to terrorism, though they’re nonetheless much less widespread than within the US.
In France, a instructing assistant was killed in a knife assault at a faculty within the japanese city of Nogent on Tuesday.
In January, an 18-year-old man fatally stabbed a secondary college pupil and a trainer in northeastern Slovakia.
And in December, a 19-year-old man stabbed to loss of life a seven-year-old pupil and injured a number of others at a major college in Zagreb, Croatia.
In December 2023, an assault by a scholar at a college in central Prague left 14 folks lifeless and 25 injured.
Just a few months earlier, a 13-year-old gunned down 9 fellow classmates and a safety guard at a major college in Belgrade.
