43-year-old arrested following fatal shootings at Aarau Rave
A 22-year-old Italian woman was shot dead at a techno festival in Aarau, with five further persons injured. Police arrested a Swiss national.
Suspect in Aarau Rave shootings remanded in custody
Google News CH — Crime (de) reports: Following the fatal shootings at the Aarau Rave techno festival, cantonal police in Aargau stopped a 43-year-old Swiss national in a car shortly before 1 a.m. in the night before Monday and arrested him on suspicion of serious criminal charges. Based on current investigation findings, authorities are treating this as a single-perpetrator case.
The shots were fired at approximately 2:30 a.m. on early Sunday morning when a rave was taking place at the venue with around 3,500 visitors in Aarau — approximately 40 kilometres west of Zurich. According to eyewitnesses, the shots were initially mistaken for fireworks. In a recording published by Swiss newspaper Blick, said to be from close to the scene of the incident, approximately ten shots could be heard.
Killed was a 22-year-old woman from Italy, who died from her injuries at the scene. According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, she was originally from Atri in the Abruzzo region. Five further persons — one woman and four men aged between 24 and 31 years — were injured with varying degrees of severity; these included a German national and four Swiss nationals.
Incident commander Captain Matthias Schildknecht said according to BILD: "We have found two calibres. These include 9-millimetre casings, as used in pistols or submachine guns. And calibre 5.45x39, as used in assault rifles." Commander Colonel Michael Laupold furthermore stated that there was no connection between the person killed and the five injured: "We are proceeding on the assumption that they are random victims."
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis offered his condolences to his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani. Tajani sent a task force to Switzerland according to reports, which is to support local authorities.
Meanwhile, there are indications of a possible second crime scene: Swiss television broadcaster Tele M1 reported that shots may also have been fired at travellers. Witnesses speak of two perpetrators. These claims have not yet been confirmed by police.
Shortly after 7:00 a.m., police spokesman Pascal Wenzel declared the situation a "special situation". The cantonal police in Aargau called on the public to continue to avoid the affected area. Investigations into the background and motive remain ongoing.
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)