Multiple people have been killed in an attack at a high school in the southern Austrian city of Graz, according to authorities.
Graz mayor Elke Kahr said that ten people were killed in the shooting, including the suspected perpetrator, according to Austria’s APA news agency.
The school shooting in Graz “is a national tragedy that has shocked our whole country,” Stocker said.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said she was “deeply shocked by the news of the school shooting in Austria.”
In 2020, four were killed and 22 injured in a shooting in the center of Vienna.
Authorities in the southern Austrian city of Graz have reported that an attack at a high school has killed several people.
Following reports of gunshots in Dreierschützengasse Street, police said that an operation had been conducted and that “several deaths” had occurred. At 10 a.m., the operation started. m. time in the area (0800 UTC).
In a subsequent statement, police reported that the school had been successfully evacuated.
Police stated that “the situation is secure.”. “There shouldn’t be any more danger. “.”.
At first, it was unclear why the suspected criminal did it.
According to police, a helicopter was used in the operation.
Graz is the capital of the state of Styria and is home to about 300,000.
What was the mayor of Graz’s response to the shooting?
Elke Kahr, the mayor of Graz, told Austria’s APA news agency that the suspected shooter was among the ten people killed in the incident. A number of children and at least one adult were among the dead.
The suspected shooter, according to the media, was believed to have been a 22-year-old former student.
There were reports of multiple injuries as well. According to the Kronen Zeitung daily, there were “double digits” of people hurt in the attack. “,”.
Teachers and students were among the dead, according to police, as reported by the ORF public broadcaster.
According to police, they think the shooter was acting alone.
“National tragedy.”.
Christian Stocker, the chancellor of Austria, posted on X to offer his sympathies to the victims and their families.
Graz’s school shooting “is a national tragedy that has shocked our whole country,” Stocker stated.
“No words can adequately express the anguish and sorrow we all experience. emotion. “.
Austria was struck “right in the heart” by the attack, according to President Alexander van der Bellen. “.
When he said, “Austria is in mourning,”. We are standing together in this hour. “,”.
Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of nearby Germany, stated that Germans were joining Austrians in their mourning.
Great news from Graz. “We are grieving with our Austrian friends and our thoughts are with them,” he said.
In an X post, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also offered her condolences.
She said, “I’m thinking of the victims, their families, and their friends.”. “Schools represent young people, hope, and the future. When schools turn into hotbeds of violence and death, it is difficult to endure. “.”.
Kaja Kallas, the top diplomat for the EU, expressed her shock at the news of the Austrian school shooting. “,”.
“Every child should be able to learn without fear of violence and feel safe at school. “,”.
How stringent are the gun laws in Austria?
The Small Arms Survey study found that Austria has almost 30 civilian firearms per 100 citizens.
Pump action guns and automatic weapons are prohibited in the Alpine nation; however, semi-automatic weapons, revolvers, and pistols are permitted with a permit.
Armed with a firearms license, a current hunting license, or membership in a shooting club, rifles and shotguns are allowed.
In 2020, a shooting in the heart of Vienna left four people dead and twenty-two injured.
A supporter of the so-called Islamic State (IS) group carried out the attack.
By Kieran Burke, editor.
