Latest news with #BORG
Sky News
17-06-2025
- Sky News
Austria gunman had 'significant passion' for school shootings, police say
A 21-year-old gunman who killed nine students and a teacher at his former school in Austria had developed a fascination and "significant passion" for such shootings in recent years, investigators say. Police say the former pupil planned last Tuesday's roughly seven-minute attack at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz down to the smallest detail - but are still uncertain as to the motive for his rampage. They have also flagged a series of copycat threats that are causing disruption. After the shooter's body was discovered, investigators found he still had 24 bullets in two magazines and another 18 loose bullets for his Glock handgun, along with 17 bullets for his shotgun, according to Michael Lohnegger, the head of Styria province's criminal police office. This has led to questions about why he decided to stop shooting when he did. 0:53 Detectives continue to trawl through a string of social media accounts attributed to the man - who has not been identified - to determine which are genuine. They can "say with certainty that, over the years, he developed a significant passion in general terms for the phenomenon of school shootings," Mr Lohnegger said. "He glorifies not just the acts in general, but also the perpetrators who carried out these acts." Eleven people were also wounded in the shootings last week, after which the gunman also died by suicide. Two of those wounded have so far been released from hospital. Two remain in intensive care. Police also highlighted an ongoing issue with copycats making threats. In Graz alone, their threats have triggered around 30 police interventions in the past few days, the Styrian Police Department said. Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker said gun laws in the country, which are among the more liberal in the EU, will be tightened in the wake of the attack.
The Independent
17-06-2025
- The Independent
Austria gunman had become fascinated with school shootings, investigators say
A former student who killed nine students and a teacher in Austria a week ago and then took his own life had become fascinated with school shootings in recent years, but his motive for the rampage remains unclear, investigators said Tuesday. Police have said the 21-year-old gunman planned last Tuesday's roughly seven-minute attack at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, which he left three years ago, down to the smallest detail. But much remains uncertain: among other things, why he chose that particular date and why he stopped shooting when he did. After his body was found, investigators found that the shooter still had 24 bullets in two magazines and another 18 loose bullets for his Glock handgun, as well as 17 bullets for his shotgun, said Michael Lohnegger, the head of Styria province's criminal police office. A few minutes before the shooting began, the gunman took a picture showing his legs and boots in a school bathroom and posted it to a social media account, Lohnegger said. Investigators are still working through some 30 other accounts attributed to him, created between 2019 and this year, to determine which are genuine. They can 'say with certainty that, over the years, he developed a significant passion in general terms for the phenomenon of school shootings,' Lohnegger said. 'He glorifies not just the acts in general, but also the perpetrators who carried out these acts." However, he said, police still have no information on his motive for the shooting. Eleven people were wounded last week. As of Tuesday, two had been released from hospitals but nine were still being treated, two of whom were still in intensive care, Lohnegger said. Their lives were not in danger. Chancellor Christian Stocker said Monday that Austria will tighten its gun laws, which are among the more liberal in the European Union. The gunman owned the two firearms he used legally.
Associated Press
17-06-2025
- Associated Press
Austria gunman had become fascinated with school shootings, investigators say
VIENNA (AP) — A former student who killed nine students and a teacher in Austria a week ago and then took his own life had become fascinated with school shootings in recent years, but his motive for the rampage remains unclear, investigators said Tuesday. Police have said the 21-year-old gunman planned last Tuesday's roughly seven-minute attack at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, which he left three years ago, down to the smallest detail. But much remains uncertain: among other things, why he chose that particular date and why he stopped shooting when he did. After his body was found, investigators found that the shooter still had 24 bullets in two magazines and another 18 loose bullets for his Glock handgun, as well as 17 bullets for his shotgun, said Michael Lohnegger, the head of Styria province's criminal police office. A few minutes before the shooting began, the gunman took a picture showing his legs and boots in a school bathroom and posted it to a social media account, Lohnegger said. Investigators are still working through some 30 other accounts attributed to him, created between 2019 and this year, to determine which are genuine. They can 'say with certainty that, over the years, he developed a significant passion in general terms for the phenomenon of school shootings,' Lohnegger said. 'He glorifies not just the acts in general, but also the perpetrators who carried out these acts.' However, he said, police still have no information on his motive for the shooting. Eleven people were wounded last week. As of Tuesday, two had been released from hospitals but nine were still being treated, two of whom were still in intensive care, Lohnegger said. Their lives were not in danger. Chancellor Christian Stocker said Monday that Austria will tighten its gun laws, which are among the more liberal in the European Union. The gunman owned the two firearms he used legally.
The Independent
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Austria's chancellor vows to toughen gun laws after a deadly school shooting
Austria will toughen its gun laws, its chancellor said Monday, after a 21-year-old former student killed nine students and a teacher at his school last week in what's considered the Alpine country's deadliest post-war attack. The shooting had sparked a debate about Austria's gun laws, which are among the more liberal in the European Union. The assailant in Graz used a shotgun and a pistol which he owned legally, police said shortly after the attack. 'Access to weapons must be regulated even more responsibly in Austria,' Christian Stocker said during a speech in Parliament in Vienna. The new laws will include 'stricter eligibility requirements for gun ownership and restrictions for certain risk groups,' the chancellor said, adding that data-sharing between the different authorities would be improved as well. 'In the future, wherever an individual risk situation is identified, consequences under firearms law must be drawn automatically,' Stocker said. The chancellor said his Cabinet would pass the new measures later this week but didn't give any further details. However, on Saturday, Stocker told public broadcaster ORF that toughening the laws could include raising the minimum age for gun buyers. In the school shooting Tuesday at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, nine students were killed — six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 — as well as a teacher. Another 11 people were wounded. The attacker killed himself in a bathroom of his former school. Traditionally, many in Austria hold weapons, which they often use to go hunting in the Alpine country's vast forests. In general, it's more common to carry a weapon for that and less for self-defense. According to the Small Arms Survey, Austria ranks 12th in the world when it comes to holding civilian firearms, with 30 firearms per 100 residents. That's far less than in the U.S. which tops the ranking with 120 firearms per 100 residents, but more than Austria's neighbor Germany, which ranked 23rd with 19 firearms per 100 residents. In Austria, some weapons, such as rifles and shotguns that must be reloaded manually after each shot, can be purchased from the age of 18 without a permit. Gun dealers only need to check if there's no weapons ban on the buyer, and the weapon is added to the central weapons register. Other weapons, such as repeating shotguns or semi-automatic firearms, are more difficult to acquire. Buyers need a gun ownership card and a firearms pass. Austria Press Agency has reported that the suspect had a gun ownership card, but this document merely entitles a holder to acquire and possess, but not to carry weapons such as the handgun. That weapon also would have required a firearm pass. In his speech on Monday, the chancellor also announced that all schools in the country would get more long-term psychological support for students and that police would increase their presence in front of schools until the end of the school year this summer. In addition, Stocker said, the government will create a compensation fund 'that will make it possible to help the affected families quickly and unbureaucratically — for example with funeral costs, psychological care or other urgently needed support services.'
Washington Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Austria's chancellor vows to toughen gun laws after a deadly school shooting
VIENNA — Austria will toughen its gun laws, its chancellor said Monday, after a 21-year-old former student killed nine students and a teacher at his school last week in what's considered the Alpine country's deadliest post-war attack. The shooting had sparked a debate about Austria's gun laws, which are among the more liberal in the European Union. The assailant in Graz used a shotgun and a pistol which he owned legally, police said shortly after the attack. 'Access to weapons must be regulated even more responsibly in Austria,' Christian Stocker said during a speech in Parliament in Vienna. The new laws will include 'stricter eligibility requirements for gun ownership and restrictions for certain risk groups,' the chancellor said, adding that data-sharing between the different authorities would be improved as well. 'In the future, wherever an individual risk situation is identified, consequences under firearms law must be drawn automatically,' Stocker said. The chancellor said his Cabinet would pass the new measures later this week but didn't give any further details. However, on Saturday, Stocker told public broadcaster ORF that toughening the laws could include raising the minimum age for gun buyers. In the school shooting Tuesday at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school in Graz, nine students were killed — six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 — as well as a teacher. Another 11 people were wounded . The attacker killed himself in a bathroom of his former school. Traditionally, many in Austria hold weapons, which they often use to go hunting in the Alpine country's vast forests. In general, it's more common to carry a weapon for that and less for self-defense. According to the Small Arms Survey, Austria ranks 12th in the world when it comes to holding civilian firearms, with 30 firearms per 100 residents. That's far less than in the U.S. which tops the ranking with 120 firearms per 100 residents, but more than Austria's neighbor Germany, which ranked 23rd with 19 firearms per 100 residents. In Austria, some weapons, such as rifles and shotguns that must be reloaded manually after each shot, can be purchased from the age of 18 without a permit. Gun dealers only need to check if there's no weapons ban on the buyer, and the weapon is added to the central weapons register. Other weapons, such as repeating shotguns or semi-automatic firearms, are more difficult to acquire. Buyers need a gun ownership card and a firearms pass. Austria Press Agency has reported that the suspect had a gun ownership card, but this document merely entitles a holder to acquire and possess, but not to carry weapons such as the handgun. That weapon also would have required a firearm pass. In his speech on Monday, the chancellor also announced that all schools in the country would get more long-term psychological support for students and that police would increase their presence in front of schools until the end of the school year this summer. In addition, Stocker said, the government will create a compensation fund 'that will make it possible to help the affected families quickly and unbureaucratically — for example with funeral costs, psychological care or other urgently needed support services.'
