New details have emerged about the Austrian gunman who killed 10 people at his former school on Tuesday, revealing that one of his victims was a young girl who lived in his neighborhood. This came as the gunman was identified as 21-year-old Artur A. from a suburb of Graz.
Arthur also left behind disturbing messages for his family and had initially planned to carry out a bombing before abandoning that idea. The former student shot dead a teacher and nine students, all aged between 14 and 17, during the deadly rampage at the school in Graz. Eleven more were injured before Artur committed suicide in the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school.
Left Message Before Going on Rampage
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The first victim of the tragedy was identified on Wednesday as 15-year-old Lea Ilir Bajrami. Police confirmed that Artur used two legally owned weapons—a shotgun and a pistol—during the attack, which lasted for nearly 13 minutes.
This came as it was revealed that Artur recorded a farewell video addressed to his mother, in which he asked for forgiveness for “what I’m about to do now” just moments before launching the assault.
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According to Austrian news outlet Heute, his mother saw the message 24 minutes after it was sent and immediately contacted the police. However, by then, Artrur has already started the rampage, and had taken his own life in a school toilet.
In another message he left behind, Artur reportedly blamed the school and experiences of bullying for his actions. He also requested that someone take care of his cat, as reported by Kronen Zeitung.
Investigators searching his home found a non-functional pipe bomb and said that he had abandoned an earlier plan to carry out a bombing.
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“A farewell letter in analog and digital form was found,” Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s Interior Ministry, told ORF public television Tuesday night.
“He says goodbye to his parents. But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter, and that is a matter for further investigations.”
Attacked for Being Bullied
When asked whether the attacker had randomly attacked or targeted them specifically, Ruf said that the matter is still being investigated. He said that victims with injuries were found on multiple floors of the school building, and one person was even found outside, near the entrance.
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The students who were killed were between 14 and 17 years old, and a teacher was also among the dead.
Newly released information reveals that the shooter, who was just shy of his 22nd birthday, did not have any personal social media accounts.
Described as a recluse, Artur reportedly had contact with only one friend, who was unaware of any plans of carrying out the attack on Tuesday morning.
Although he had been living in Kalsdorf—a town of around 8,000 residents—for five years, he never took part in community events, sports, or local activities.
Artur studied computer science during middle school and later attended a business school, which he left in 2019, according to local reports. He lived with his single mother in a suburb of Graz and had reportedly found it tough getting a job, Heute reported.
Artur is believed to have previously attended the school where the attack took place on Tuesday, although he did not finish his education there.
