In brief
At least nine people have been killed in a mass shooting at a high school in Graz, Austria's second-largest city, marking one of the deadliest such attacks in Europe.
A devastating incident occurred on Tuesday morning in Graz, Austria, where a mass shooting at a local high school resulted in at least nine fatalities, as reported by Mayor Elke Kahr. The shooter, whose identity remains undisclosed, was found deceased at the scene. The attack has been labeled the most lethal in recent Austrian history and a significant tragedy across Europe.According to police reports, emergency services were notified around 10 a.m. local time, leading to a rapid response that included specially trained COBRA units and aerial support. In the wake of the chaos, students were evacuated to a nearby stadium, and officials assured the public that there was no ongoing threat by midday. The incident occurred shortly after students returned from the Pentecost holiday weekend.While no details regarding the victims or the shooter's motives have been released, the incident has raised concerns over the frequency of mass shootings in Austria, a country that has witnessed only two such events in the last two decades. Graz previously experienced a mass attack in 2015, underscoring the city's vulnerability to similar violent occurrences.Despite the rarity of mass shootings, Austria has seen instances of terrorism-related violence, with major security incidents recorded in recent years, including a thwarted plot against a public event and a tragic shooting in Vienna.A 2017 report from the Small Arms Survey noted that Austrian civilians possess around 2.6 million firearms, with only about 837,000 registered. This places Austria among the countries with the highest rate of gun ownership, ranking 12th globally. However, regulations are stringent, requiring licenses for handguns and semiautomatic weapons, illustrating a complex relationship with weapon ownership amidst national safety concerns.Amelia Nierenberg reports for The Times in London, delivering coverage on this evolving story.
