Swiss rave shooting kills Italian woman and wounds five in Aarau
A 43-year-old Swiss man was arrested after a manhunt following a shooting at a rave in Aarau that killed one woman and injured five others.
Suspect arrested after deadly shooting at Aarau rave
A 43-year-old Swiss citizen has been arrested following a shooting at an outdoor rave in Aarau, northern Switzerland, that left one person dead and five others injured, itv.com reports. The arrest was made overnight after a police manhunt spanning the Aargau region and extending into neighbouring Germany.
Police in Aargau confirmed on Monday that a 22-year-old woman died of her injuries at the scene. Four men and one woman, aged between 24 and 27, were taken to hospital with injuries described as ranging from minor to severe. All victims are residents of Switzerland; their names were withheld in line with Swiss privacy rules.
Authorities were alerted at around 2.30am local time to the shooting at the horse racing track in Aarau's Schachen district, 29 miles west of Zurich. The event, billed as "Aarau Rave VOL. 7", was still under way when the shots were fired. Police spokesperson Pascal Wenzel told Swiss public broadcaster SRF that officers, firefighters and ambulances responded in large numbers, with the fire department cordoning off a large area around the site.
Swiss daily Blick reported that attendees initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks until someone shouted for everyone to get down.
Police said investigations into a possible motive are ongoing and that they currently believe the shooting was carried out by a lone perpetrator. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, with no further information to be released until then. Officers asked any witnesses with video or photographic evidence to share it with investigators.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday evening identified the woman killed as Maria Spinelli and confirmed that two of the injured were also Italian citizens. "I express my deepest condolences for the death of Maria Spinelli, the young Italian woman who was a victim of the tragic shooting in Aarau, Switzerland," Meloni wrote on X. She added that she trusts "the work of the Swiss authorities to shed full light on what happened and identify those responsible."
Police in Freiburg, in neighbouring Germany, also participated in the search for the suspect, the German news agency dpa reported.
Swiss DJ Tekibo, who performed at the event, wrote on Instagram that what happened "is absolutely heartbreaking," adding: "Techno and raves are supposed to be a place for freedom and safety, never a place where something like this happens."
Public shootings are rare in Switzerland despite relatively widespread gun ownership.
Source: Irish Independent