First picture of Austrian school shooter Artur A released
The lone gunman who killed 10 people in Austria’s worst mass shooting in modern history has been pictured for the first time.
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The lone gunman who killed 10 people in a shooting massacre at his former school has been pictured for the first time.
The 21-year-old, identified as Artur A, was a previous student at the BORG Dreierschuetzengasse high school in Graz, which on Wednesday was the scene of Austria’s worst mass shooting in modern history, The Sun reported.
Artur lived in a suburb of Graz, and had left the school two years ago without successfully graduating sixth grade.
He had no previous convictions and was only known to police as a victim of pick-pocketing.
Former classmates have said he was subjected to severe bullying during his school years, according to local reports.
There is speculation he targeted the school in an act of furious revenge, though police are yet to specify a motive.
When authorities searched his house, they found a non-functional pipe bomb and a suicide note.
Officers also discovered what appeared to be abandoned plans for a bomb attack during the search, local media reported.
In his “farewell letter”, Artur reportedly said goodbye to his parents and framed himself as a victim of bullying, according to Krone.
He also reportedly recorded a video and sent it to his mother, where he spoke of his imminent atrocity and said he was acting “of (his) own free will”, before pleading for forgiveness for “what I’m about to do”.
Police said his mother opened the video 24 minutes after receiving it and immediately notified police – at which point Artur had already carried out the deadly assault before taking his own life.
Artur stormed through two classrooms, firing with a Glock pistol and shotgun – both of which he owned legally.
Ten people were killed, and a further 12 were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
‘I can’t believe she’s gone’
Lea Bajrami, 15, was named as the first victim of the massacre.
She was one of six girls killed, alongside three boys and an adult woman, believed to be a teacher at the school.
Another 15-year-old girl, Hana Akmadzicis, has been identified as the second victim of the tragedy.
“She was my child, not just my niece,” the teenager’s uncle, Ilhad, wrote in a heartfelt tribute.
“A flower of paradise. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
All surviving victims are aged between 15 and 26 years old, and are currently being treated in hospital. They are understood to be in a stable condition.
Eight of them are from Austria, two from Romania, and one from Iran, according to the police.
The European nation has been left stunned by the senseless violence, and three days of national mourning has been declared.
Horrifying video from the scene yesterday showed pupils hiding in a classroom as gunshots rang out nearby.
Other clips showed students running for their lives as heavily-armed police made their way inside the high school.
One father told local media that his son lay down on the floor and pretended to be dead to escape the slaughter.
Immediately after the killing spree, Artur went into a toilet and turned one of the guns on himself.
On Tuesday night local time, government officials attended a memorial service in Graz Cathedral, and thousands gathered for a candlelight vigil in the city’s main square.
“Today is a dark day in the history of our country,” Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker said.
There is no record of a mass shooting in Austria with a death toll this high in the post-war period.
A nationwide minute of silence was observed on Wednesday morning local time, and flags on official buildings were flying at half-mast.
Crisis centres have also been set up to support Graz locals, with specially-trained psychologists on hand to support students and parents associated with the school.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
Originally published as First picture of Austrian school shooter Artur A released
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