Shooting rampage at techno rave in Aargau: 43-year-old shoots woman and injures five people
A 43-year-old Swiss man shot dead a 22-year-old Italian woman and injured five other people at a rave in the Swiss canton of Aargau. Police have classified the attack as a shooting rampage.
Shots fired at techno rave in canton of Aargau: police describe incident as shooting rampage
A 22-year-old Italian woman was shot dead at a techno music event on the grounds of the Aargau Racing Association during the night into Sunday. Five further people aged between 24 and 31 were injured by gunfire; another victim reported injuries from a ricochet to police on Monday. According to DER SPIEGEL (Justice & Crime), Swiss police have classified the incident as a shooting rampage.
Roughly 24 hours after the attack, police arrested a 43-year-old Swiss man on strong suspicion of committing the crime. The man turned himself in during the night into Monday and has been held in pre-trial detention since then. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against him for wilful killing, murder, multiple endangerment of life and violation of weapons legislation.
Police chief Michael Leupold stated at a press conference that investigators assumed "with near certainty" that a single perpetrator was responsible. "There is no evidence whatsoever of other persons involved in the crime," Leupold said. There was no further danger to the public.
According to the investigation, the suspect allegedly fired approximately 40 times randomly at the crowd with an assault rifle. At another location, he then fired using a pistol. An AK-47 and two pistols were seized from his vehicle. Since his arrest, the man has refused to make a statement, according to Aargau prosecutor Christoph Rüedi.
The motive remains unclear. According to Rüedi, the suspected perpetrator was said to suffer from psychological problems. He had been a military cook and left the army in 2013.
Among the injured was also a German woman. She described two grazing shots in an interview with the newspaper Blick. All victims live in Switzerland.
The shots were fired towards the end of the event in the early hours of Sunday morning, when dozens of people were still on the grounds. The rave at the racing association in canton Aargau had taken place for the fifth time on that Saturday, with DJs from the techno scene; the organisers had expected around 3,500 visitors.
Immediately after the incident, it was unclear whether one or multiple perpetrators were involved. Police launched a major manhunt, which also involved German authorities. The scene of the crime is located approximately 25 kilometres south of Bad Säckingen in Baden-Württemberg. Initially, police investigated the possibility of a terrorist attack, a shooting rampage and a settling of scores within criminal circles.