- A 21-year-old ex-student killed 10 in a Graz school shooting before taking his own life.
- Austria began three days of mourning; a homemade bomb and farewell letter were found.
- European leaders offered condolences as locals mourned the victims.
Austria on Wednesday, began three days of mourning for the 10 people killed in a school shooting.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that investigators revealed they found a makeshift bomb at the home of the suspect, a 21-year-old former pupil at the Dreierschuetzengasse secondary school in the second city of Graz.
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The suspect shot dead 10 people on Tuesday in an unprecedented rampage.
Police revealed that he acted alone and took his own life in the toilet at the school.
According to reports, a “non-functional homemade bomb” was also found during a search at the suspect’s home.
Although Police found a goodbye letter to the suspect’s parents, it included no clues about his motive.
Locals hugged each other and cried as they left flowers, candles and letters to the victims outside the city centre school, which has around 400 students aged between 14 and 18.
A 22-year-old student, Mariam Fayz, said, “It is truly shocking… We will always think back on this,” adding that she feared for her younger brother when she heard the news.
The Chancellor, Christian Stocker, while describing the shooting as “a national tragedy,” announced three days of national mourning, while a minute’s silence was observed across the country at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday.
Twelve people suffered serious injuries.
Police explained that the alleged perpetrator was an Austrian from the Graz region who used two legally owned weapons.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told reporters the suspect was a former pupil at the secondary school but never finished his studies there.
Some Austrian media claimed that the suspect had been bullied, and other television stations discussed the ease with which Austrians can acquire firearms and the number in circulation in the country.
A student at the school, Ennio told AFP Wednesday that “there are stories from classmates who were often harassed, and in a situation like this, it’s indescribably difficult.
“We ask that we be left in peace today so that we can mourn together and try to understand the situation.”
One resident, originally from the United States, whose children attend a nearby primary school and nursery school, said she was “shocked”.
Choosing to stay anonymous, she said, “In my home country it happens more often as we know, but that it happens here is unheard of.
“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”.
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Condolences poured in from across European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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