Former student kills 10 in Austrian school shooting

The suspected shooter, later found dead in one of the bathrooms, was a former student at the school.

Policemen are seen in a street close to a school where several people died in a shooting. Picture: APA / AFP

At least 10 people were killed and a dozen severely injured when a shooter opened fire at a school in the Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday (local time), in an unprecedented case of deadly gun violence that stunned the Alpine country.

The suspect, a 21-year-old former student acted alone and took his own life in the school toilet, police said, adding his motive remained unknown.

Heavily armed police, a helicopter and paramedics descended on the Dreierschuetzengasse high school in Graz after the 21-year-old lone shooter struck, police said.

Nine victims were immediately confirmed but a woman died from her wounds in hospital later, an official said.

Seven of the victims were female and three male, authorities said without specifying their ages. A 17-year-old French student was among the victims, his father said.

Twelve people suffered severe injuries and police said support was being provided to witnesses and those affected.

The police said they had found a goodbye letter from the shooter addressed to his parents during a search of his residence, but that it included no clues about his motive.

According to police, the alleged perpetrator was an Austrian from the Graz region, who used two legally owned weapons.

He was a former student at the high school, but had not finished his studies, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told reporters.

Bouquets of flowers and candles were placed in front of the school, which has around 400 students aged between 14 and 18, as nearby businesses closed.

One resident, originally from the United States, whose children attend a nearby elementary school and kindergarten, told AFP she was “shocked” and it was “a lot to take in”.

“In my home country it happens more often as we know but that it happens here is unheard of,” she said, declining to give her name.

“Graz is a safe city,” said Roman Klug, 55, who said he lived close to the school that he said was “known for its openness and diversity”.

‘Deeply shocked’

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker declared three days of national mourning to remember the victims, saying the country had witnessed “an act of unimaginable violence”.

After arriving in Graz, Stocker described the shooting as “a national tragedy”, adding that it was “a dark day” for Austria.

Condolences poured in from across Europe.

The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said she was “deeply shocked” when she heard about the shooting.

“Every child should feel safe at school and be able to learn free from fear and violence, ”Ms Kallas posted on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that “France extends its deepest sympathy to the victims’ families, the Austrian people and Chancellor Stocker during this difficult time”.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said “our thoughts are with our Austrian friends and neighbours” following the “horrific” shooting.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban offered his “deepest condolences”. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “the news from Graz touches my heart” while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her sympathies to the families of the victims following the “tragic news”.

Attacks in public are rare in Austria, which is home to almost 9.2 million people and ranks among the 10 safest countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index.

While still less common than in the United States, Europe in recent years has been shaken by attacks at schools and universities that were not connected to terrorism.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said “our thoughts are with our Austrian friends and neighbours and we mourn with them” after the school shooting he called “horrific”.

Attacks in public are rare in Austria, which is home to almost 9.2 million people and ranks among the 10 safest countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index.

School shootings are also much more uncommon in Europe than in the United States but in recent years Europe has been shaken by attacks at schools and universities, that were not connected to terrorism.

In France on Tuesday, a teaching assistant was killed in a knife attack at a school in the eastern town of Nogent.

In January, an 18-year-old man fatally stabbed a high school student and a teacher at a school in northeastern Slovakia.

And in December, a 19-year-old man stabbed a seven-year-old student to death and injured several others at a primary school in Zagreb, Croatia.

In December 2023, an attack by a student at a university in central Prague left 14 people dead and 25 injured.

A few months earlier, a 13-year-old gunned down nine fellow classmates and a security guard at an elementary school in Belgrade.