Austria reels from ‘national tragedy' after gunman kills nine at former school
Visibly moved at a media conference, the chancellor, Christian Stocker, announced a minute's silence for 10am on Wednesday to start the period of mourning for the victims of Austria's deadliest postwar mass shooting.
The attack on Tuesday morning in the southern city of Graz was 'a dark day in the history of our country', an act of 'unimaginable violence' and 'a national tragedy that has shocked us all', he said.
The interior minister, Gerhard Karner, said six of the shooter's victims were female and three male. Twelve people had been injured, he said, some seriously. Karner said the presumed shooter, a former pupil at the school who had left before graduating, had acted alone and was among the dead.
The mayor of Graz, Elke Kahr, had earlier said that an adult — thought to be a teacher at the school — was among the fatalities.
The gunman opened fire in two classrooms, one of which had once been his own, soon after 10am local time (9am Irish time). Police gave the all-clear about 90 minutes later, after a major security operation involving a special forces unit and several helicopters.
A police spokesperson told reporters the suspect was a 21-year-old Austrian national who was armed with two weapons that he owned legally, and had no criminal record. His name has not been released.
'Everything else, and many other things have been speculated about at this point in time, is simply speculation,' the interior minister told reporters, adding that no further details would be announced because of the active police investigation.
'Out of consideration for family members, only reliable information will be released to the public,' Mr Karner said. He said nothing concrete could yet be said about the possible motive of the gunman.
Citing police sources, the Kurier and Salzburger Nachrichten newspapers said the gunman was carrying two weapons, a pistol and a shotgun, one of them only recently acquired. Police said he had been found dead in a school bathroom.
Local hospitals said they were treating 12 people, including two adults and five teenagers, two of whom were in a 'very critical condition' and five with 'serious injuries'. All underwent emergency surgery.
Pupils and staff were evacuated from the 400-pupil BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz and the building was thoroughly searched. Students and families were taken care of by crisis intervention teams at a nearby sports hall.
The area around the school was cordoned off and public transport was diverted, with all streets around the school guarded by armed police. A Red Cross spokesperson said 160 responders attended the scene, including emergency doctors and paramedics.
Mr Stocker said earlier in a statement there were 'no words for the pain and grief all of us in Austria are feeling'. He added: 'Today it's all about compassion. And about being there for one another. In these difficult times, humanity is our strongest force.'
Austria's president, Alexander Van der Bellen, said: 'What happened today … strikes our country at the heart. These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their journey.'
He said nothing could ease the pain felt by 'the parents, grandparents, siblings and friends of the murdered people at this moment', he said, adding that the country 'stood together, to withstand this pain, together'.
Austrians own an estimated 30 firearms for every 100 people, making the country one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe.
Machine guns and pump-action guns are banned, but revolvers, pistols and semi-automatic weapons are allowed with official authorisation, and rifles and shotguns with a firearms licence, a valid hunting licence or for members of shooting clubs.
Mass shootings, however, are rare. In 2020, four people were killed and 22 injured in a gun attack by a convicted jihadist in Vienna. In November 1997, a 36-year-old mechanic shot dead six people in the town of Mauterndorf before killing himself.
'Horrific act of violence'
Ms Kahr, the Graz mayor, described the shooting as a 'terrible tragedy'.
The Vienna mayor, Michael Ludwig, urged Austrians to 'stand together as a society. Hate and violence must never gain the upper hand. Our response to this must be an even stronger commitment to solidarity and respect.'
Several European leaders expressed their condolences on Tuesday. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was "shocked and appalled" by the shooting, adding: "Such a horrific act of violence at a school is unconscionable".
"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, the entire school community and the people of Austria."
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said she was 'deeply shocked', adding that 'every child should feel safe at school and be able to learn free from fear and violence'.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said schools should be 'symbols of youth, hope and the future', adding: 'It's hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence.'
Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, posted: 'Horrific news from Graz. Our thoughts are with our Austrian friends and neighbours and we mourn with them.' Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said his thoughts were with victims' families.
The Guardian
Read More
Greta Thunberg arrives in Paris after being deported from Israel
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Trump claims victory on trade - but EU had little choice
In many respects US President Donald Trump achieved his aims by introducing a swath of tariffs with America's main trading partners around the world. The European Union has a population of 448 million compared to the US which has 340 million. However, the US economy is larger. Many have been surprised at the way Donald Trump has appeared to be able to dictate terms to Europe. His announcement yesterday that he would commence the new tariff arrangements from 7 August appeared to be his decision with little input from the EU. President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen has defended the deal, which will see tariffs of 15% imposed on EU goods. There are two reasons why the EU did not want a full blown trade war with Mr Trump. Firstly, European businesses were opposed to a prolonged period of tit-for-tat tariffs with enormously damaging consequences. Secondly, if relations with Mr Trump soured, he could threaten to row back on defence commitments. The EU is highly reliant on the US for arm supplies, funding for NATO and military support for Ukraine. But looking at scale of tariffs imposed on other countries the EU's 15% does not seem too damaging compared to India's 25%, Canada's 35% and Switzerland's 39%. Most of the US' main trading partners have rates of 15% or 20%. The exception is the UK's 10% tariff. However, this is not an all-inclusive rate. In other words, other rates can be added to it. Nor does Britain have a written agreement capping pharmaceutical tariffs unlike the EU. It is worth bearing in mind that while tariffs on European goods go up, Mr Trump stated the EU would be "opening up their countries at zero tariffs" for US exports. Unanswered questions From the Irish point of view there are still many unanswered questions. There is no agreement on alcohol exports to the US. That sector was expected to be covered by a zero-for-zero tariff arrangement but that has not yet been confirmed. This is critical for Ireland's whiskey industry and the EU's wine exports. It seems clear that pharmaceuticals and computer chips will face tariffs of up to 15%, but the timing is still uncertain. Both are subject of so-called Section 232 investigations because Mr Trump believes the US' use of imports is a national security issue. Tánaiste Simon Harris said the tariffs for sectors under investigation will not become clear until those processes are concluded. For pharmaceuticals that is expected to happen in two weeks. But the fact that the EU-US agreement won't exceed 15% does provide some clarity for the industry. Bank of Ireland pointed out that drugs are relatively inelastic, which means if prices go up people still buy them because they are prescribed by doctors. The new swath of tariffs come at a time when the dollar has been weakening and making EU exports to the US more expensive at the worst possible time. Then there is the question of what this all means for the Irish economy. In March, the Department of Finance and the Economic Social Research Institute published research on the impact of tariffs on the Irish economy. It looks at a range of scenarios from tariffs of 10% to 25%. Based on that analysis, officials at the Department of Finance told business leaders yesterday that the economy would continue to expand, but at a slower pace than previously expected. Employment will grow but at a slower rate. The Government will now have to decide how all this will impact the Budget in October. But while Mr Trump may believe he has achieved his aims on tariffs, in the long run his actions carry the risk of higher inflation in the US and undermining the American economy.
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Ex-Provo says he's proud IRA chiefs asked him to tell world their war was over
Séanna Walsh became the first IRA man for decades to stand in front of a camera and talk on behalf of the organisation without a mask Seanna Walsh, announces that IRA leadership has formally ordered an end to its armed campaign in 2005. The former Provo who told the world the IRA's war was over has revealed it remains one of the proudest moments of his life – but he had to get his daughters' approval first. Séanna Walsh spoke to the Sunday World on the week of the 20th anniversary of the jaw-dropping statement that declared an end to the IRA's violent campaign which saw them murder more than 1,700 people. On July 28, 2005, Séanna became the first IRA man for decades to stand in front of a camera and talk on behalf of the organisation without a mask. In a DVD that was distributed all over the world, he said the terrorist group was laying down its arms and was committing to a new peaceful strategy of achieving its goal of a united Ireland. Not everyone believed them but 20 years on only the most diehard unionist would argue that the IRA still exists as a violent force. Seanna Walsh, announces that IRA leadership has formally ordered an end to its armed campaign in 2005. Séanna (68) reveals this week why he thinks he was chosen to deliver that message, how he had check it was okay with his family first and how he feels about it 20 years later. While a number of ceasefires had been announced and collapsed since 1994, the 2005 statement saw the start of the decommissioning of weapons. The IRA statement delivered by Séanna said that members had been instructed to use exclusively peaceful means and not to engage in any other activities whatsoever. 'I had to be unmasked,' says Séanna – now a Sinn Féin Belfast city councillor – told the Sunday World. 'It had to be that way because we were doing something different. 'It was the defining moment of my life as a republican and I'm very proud of the fact the IRA leadership asked me to be the person to read the statement. 'I wasn't wearing a mask because we had to move away from that but I wasn't worried because I was quite convinced the days of the armed conflict were over. Séanna Walsh reflects on delivering historic IRA statement 20 years on News in 90 Seconds, Friday August 1 'It was made in the grounds of the Roddy's (Roddy McCorley's Club) and there's a museum there today and you can push the button and play the video and actually there's a recording of me reading the statement in English but also in Irish.' Walsh was a 48-year-old father-of-three when he made the statement which lasted just over four minutes and was filmed in the grounds of the west Belfast club. By then he'd already been in jail three times for his role in violent republicanism – in fact by the time he was released in 1998 he'd spent more time behind bars than out – and his track record was one of the reasons he believes he was chosen to read out the statement. 'I didn't ask them why I was chosen,' says Walsh. 'I was approached by an IRA comrade and that's as much as I can say. I suppose it's because I was confident enough to do it. 'I think they asked me because of the fact I'd served time in the Cages (Long Kesh), where I first met Bobby Sands, and where I shared a cell with him and we became very close friends. 'Then during the hunger strike period I was back in the H-Blocks and suffered the abuse of the blanket protest and was then in charge of the H-Blocks after Bik McFarlane stood down. 'On being released I went back to the struggle and was recaptured a third time and sentenced to 22 years the third time and was finally released in 1998. 'When I was asked would I be prepared to be the one to read the statement to camera and this would go out globally, I had to take a step back and I told them I'll have to think about this because I have three daughters, two of which were teens and the other was only a child. 'I needed to sit down and go through it all with my family – my wife is a long-standing republican in her own right and shared a cell in jail in Armagh with Mairéad Farrell for a number of years. 'So my wife was okay with it and the girls were absolutely supportive – the one thing I was most concerned about was the way that stuff like this can impact on their opportunities to travel and them being at that age. 'So I sat down with them and talked it over with them and I came back and said 'yes I'll do it'. I was a bit concerned about putting myself above the parapet and making myself a target of abuse because we were putting it up to the establishment in a way we hadn't really done before.' For the record, Walsh was jailed for terrorist offences including robbing banks, having a rifle and being caught with explosives but he sticks by the controversial claim that there was 'no alternative'. But he says the growth of Sinn Féin in the Republic actually pushed the IRA closer to a ceasefire as they found Dublin a colder house than before. 'Nationalists and certainly republicans felt there was no alternative to armed struggle but when republicans were convinced that there was a viable alternative to ending British government interference in this part of Ireland without recourse to armed struggle, they jumped at it with both hands and grasped it,' he says. 'To talk about 2005 you really have to talk about the statement Gerry Adams made in April where he talks about the time is now right for the IRA to leave the stage. 'That triggered a whole period of consultation across the republican family... it was time for the IRA to leave the stage because it was leading to excuses on the part of other people, the people in opposition to ourselves. 'When you look back in the years when Sinn Féin was a political party and their strength lay in the North, the Dublin government were a lot less hostile after the IRA ceasefire but Sinn Féin's strength was growing in the south and they were becoming, as far as they were concerned, a threat politically to the southern establishment and that's when things started becoming problematic with the Dublin government.' He says the archives will show that neither unionism nor the British government believed his statement was completely genuine. 'If you look back at the archives the British downplayed it, the unionists totally poo-pooed it and even then later in the year when you had the statement from De Chastelain (chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning), that he was satisfied guns had been put beyond use you still had this scepticism in unionism that didn't believe it.' Last weekend, Séanna took part in a discussion about his historic statement along with Gerry Adams, chaired by Mairéad Farrell TD – niece of IRA member Mairéad who was shot dead in Gibraltar – in Belfast's Balmoral Hotel. Speaking before the event, Gerry Adams voiced regret that the statement of 2005 took so long to come, suggesting the UK government was focused on 'defeating republicanism'. He said: 'It took decades and one of my regrets is that it took so long. In my humble opinion it took so long because the two governments, particularly the British government, only sought peace on its terms, which meant defeat the IRA, it meant defeat republicanism and that doesn't work, our people are resolute.' He added: 'The proof of it is that 20 years later the IRA isn't a feature.'
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Irish influencer ‘unaware of Central Bank probe' into promotion of unregulated offshore trading platform T4Trade
Irish influencer Jonathan Finlay has said he is 'not aware of any ongoing investigation by the Central Bank into his affairs' or his promotion of an unregulated trading platform.
