Latest news with #Ruf
1News
12-06-2025
- 1News
Farewell letter found at home of Austrian school shooter
Investigators found a farewell letter and a non-functional pipe bomb when they searched the home of a man who opened fire at his former school in Austria, killing 10 people and taking his own life, police said today. As Austria mourned the victims of what appeared to be the deadliest attack in its post-World War II history, with a national minute of silence planned in the morning, questions remained about the motive of the shooter. The 21-year-old Austrian man lived near Graz and was a former student at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, in Austria's second-biggest city, who hadn't completed his studies. Police have said that he used two weapons, a shotgun and a handgun, which he appeared to have owned legally. Police officers attend the scene of a shooting at a school in Graz, Austria. (Source: Associated Press) Police didn't elaborate on investigators' findings in a brief post on social network X. But a senior official who acknowledged that the letter had been found last night said it hadn't allowed them to draw conclusions. ADVERTISEMENT 'A farewell letter in analogue and digital form was found,' Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's Interior Ministry, told ORF public television. 'He says goodbye to his parents. But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter, and that is a matter for further investigations.' Asked whether the assailant had attacked victims randomly or targeted them specifically, Ruf said that is also under investigation and he didn't want to speculate. He said that wounded people were found on various levels of the school and, in one case, in front of the building.
Gulf Today
11-06-2025
- Gulf Today
Austrian police search for answers after mass shooting in school
Austrian authorities were seeking clues on Wednesday to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man acted alone, armed with a shotgun and a pistol. They are scouring his home and the internet to understand why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. The incident was hard to take in, said a religious studies teacher at the school, Paul Nitsche, who left his classroom before the gunman tried to enter, and briefly saw him trying to shoot the lock off another door. "This is something I couldn't even imagine before," he told national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real.'" Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Authorities said the suspect did not complete his studies at the school. Police work near a school where several people died in a shooting. Photo: AFP Police said he left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack and that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Ennio Resnik, a pupil at the school, said students and teachers needed time to come to terms with what had happened, and asked that they be left in peace for a few days. "It's surreal, you can't describe or really understand it," he said, speaking to reporters outside an events centre near the school where students were being offered counselling. Some of the students gathered there cried, while others held each other. SECOND SCHOOL THREATENED Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (centre) attends a memorial service. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told ORF on Tuesday night. Police were on the alert for potential copycat attacks and they had received a threat against another school in Graz late on Tuesday, he said. In the earlier attack, about 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, says the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. The attack sparked calls for its gun laws to be tightened, including one from Graz's mayor. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. "If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed," he said. People light candles at a makeshift memorial site. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. Reuters
Dubai Eye
11-06-2025
- Dubai Eye
Austrian police search for answers after mass shooting in school
Austrian authorities were searching on Wednesday for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues to why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. Police added that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Austrian authorities said the suspect never completed his studies at the school. He left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack, police said. Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told national broadcaster ORF on Tuesday night. Around 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Austrian police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors.
Muscat Daily
11-06-2025
- Muscat Daily
Austria mourns in aftermath of school shooting
Graz, Austria – Austrian police found a non-functional homemade bomb and a farewell letter at the home of a 21-year-old gunman who killed 10 people in a mass shooting at a high school in Graz before taking his own life, authorities said on Wednesday. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. The suspect, armed with a shotgun and pistol, opened fire on Tuesday at Dreierschützengasse high school. He was a former student of the same school although he did not complete his studies, authorities said. Investigators look for motive A minute of silence was observed at 10am local time on Wednesday for one of Austria's deadliest attacks post-World War II. According to Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria's Interior Ministry, the shooter's letter bid farewell to his parents. 'But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter,' Ruf said, adding that investigations are ongoing. The police are also looking into whether the victims were targeted or chosen at random. Austria is observing three days of national mourning with vigils being held in Graz, where locals lit candles and laid flowers in the city's main square in honour of the victims. Many lined up to donate blood for the survivors. What are Austria's gun laws? Meanwhile, the shooter's use of legally owned firearms has sparked renewed debate over Austria's gun laws. Austria has nearly 30 civilian firearms per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey research project. The Alpine country has banned automatic weapons and pump action guns, while revolvers, pistols and semi-automatic weapons are allowed with a permit. Rifles and shotguns are permitted with a firearms license, a valid hunting licence or for members of shooting clubs. DW
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Austria school shooter's mother saw suicide message too late to stop attack
The suspected school gunman who killed at least 11 people in the Austrian city of Graz sent his mother a suicide video warning of his plans ahead of the attack. The mother alerted the police to the video 24 minutes after receiving it, by which point the Tuesday morning killing spree had already started, according to a report. The 21-year-old suspect, a former student at the school identified in local media as 'Artur A', opened fire inside two classrooms at the BORG Dreierschützengasse school at around 10am, before killing himself in a toilet. The gunman, who wounded a further 12 people, was a dropout who allegedly considered himself to have been a victim of bullying at the school, although police have not confirmed this. According to Heute, an Austrian newspaper, he declared his plans to attack the school in the farewell video, but his mother opened it too late. In the deadliest mass shooting in Austria's history, nine people – six women and three men including students and an adult – were shot dead at the school itself. Two more victims died from their injuries after being taken to hospital. After raiding his home on Tuesday, police said they found a farewell note as well as the suicide video, but it did not reveal the motive for the attack. A non-functioning pipe bomb was also discovered. 'A farewell letter in analogue and digital form was found,' Franz Ruf, the director of public security, told ORF public television. 'He says goodbye to his parents. But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter,' he said, adding that investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. Only 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired and the school being declared safe, Mr Ruf said. The suicide video was reported within this time frame, Heute reported. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Mr Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. 'If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed,' he said. The city was on alert for potential copycat attacks after police revealed they had received a threat against another school in Graz late on Tuesday. Christian Stocker, the Austrian chancellor, called the mass shooting a 'dark day in the history of the country' on Tuesday as he declared three days of national mourning. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school, while dozens queued to donate blood for the survivors. By Wednesday morning, health authorities in Graz said that all patients were in stable condition. Nine were still in intensive care units, with one needing a further operation on a facial wound and a second on a knee injury, while another two had been moved to regular wards. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
