One killed and five hurt in shooting at techno rave in Aarau, Switzerland
A 22-year-old Italian woman died and five others were hospitalised after a gunman opened fire at a rave in Aarau. A nationwide manhunt is under way.
Nationwide manhunt after fatal shooting at Swiss rave leaves one dead
A 22-year-old Italian woman was shot dead and five others hospitalised after a gunman opened fire at a techno rave in the Swiss town of Aarau in the early hours of Sunday, Google News UK — Crime (en) reports.
Maria Spinelli died at the scene at the Schachen horse racing track. Four men and a woman, aged between 24 and 27, were taken to hospital with injuries described by cantonal police as "ranging from minor to severe".
Aarau cantonal police spokesman Michael Leupold told a news conference on Sunday afternoon that officers were "still in the midst of the operation" and had no leads on whether the attack was carried out by one person or multiple individuals. The perpetrator or perpetrators were not believed to still be in Aarau, he said.
Police received the first report of shots fired at around 02:30 local time (00:30 GMT), shortly after the music had stopped. A large-scale, nationwide manhunt was launched in co-operation with Freiburg police, German news agency DPA reported. Armed officers were deployed on the highway up to 30km from the scene, according to an AFP journalist present.
The event had been expected to draw up to 3,500 attendees. A DJ who was scheduled to perform until the planned close of the event at 02:00 said the shooting occurred "straight after our set", in a post on social media. Another performer, DJ Tekibo, wrote on Instagram that he had lost a friend and was "still trying to process what happened".
An eyewitness told Swiss outlet Blick that he initially mistook the gunshots for fireworks before being told to take cover. He said a woman who directed him to hide was subsequently shot.
Olivier Grein, whose company Agency Events AG organised the event, said the firm was "shaken" and would do everything it could to support the police investigation.
Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni said she was confident Swiss authorities would "shed full light on what happened and find anyone responsible". The Italian foreign ministry said it was sending officials to Zurich "to closely follow the investigation" and noted that two other Italians had been "slightly injured and have already returned home". The Italian Embassy in Bern and the Consulate in Zurich were said to be monitoring the situation.
The area around the racing track, the town's swimming pool and sports field was cordoned off, with the public urged to stay away. Images from early Sunday showed a heavy police presence, including an armoured vehicle blocking a road and officers in riot gear patrolling the streets. The regional disaster response unit (KKE) was deployed alongside police and fire officials, broadcaster SRF reported. A Swiss Army helicopter was also seen surveying the area in the early hours.
Aarau, a town of approximately 23,000 people, lies less than 40km from the German border. Local German media reported that German police were supporting Swiss forces. A large contingent of Swiss officers was also deployed beyond Aarau "as a precaution", cantonal police said.
Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, though violent shootings are rare and tighter controls were introduced in recent years. The country's last major shooting took place in 2001, when a gunman killed 14 members of the parliament and local government of Zug, near Lucerne, before taking his own life.
Police asked witnesses to submit photographs and video footage from the scene.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)