Aarau gunman surrendered shortly before arrest – delivery van led police to him
Police had already identified the 43-year-old suspect when he turned himself in. His white delivery van with Jura licence plates put investigators on his trail.
Manhunt net was already tightening before shooter appeared
When the alleged Aarau gunman appeared at a police station in Delémont in the early hours of Monday, investigators had already identified his vehicle. According to Blick, the arrest of the 43-year-old Swiss man from the Jurassian village of Montsévelie was "inevitable anyway" in the view of police.
A decisive tip came from an eyewitness: he had observed a white delivery van with a Jura registration plate after the incident. This information led investigators to a concrete vehicle trace, which ultimately led to the identification of the man – approximately 24 hours after the shots were fired.
The manhunt was meanwhile running at full steam. Around 80 emergency calls came in after the incident; in the first twelve hours, more than 130 people were questioned, and over 100 leads from the public reached police. Additionally, police publicly requested private video footage from the scene and surrounding area.
Fedpol ordered a national and international manhunt, deployed two liaison officers to Aarau, and established a crisis structure in Bern. German authorities in the border region near Freiburg were also involved as part of routine mutual assistance.
The 43-year-old did not arrive empty-handed. In the vehicle were the three firearms he is believed to have used in the incident: a Kalashnikov AKS-74 and two pistols. He told officers: "I am the perpetrator of Aarau."
When arrested, he stated he had no accomplices or people aware of the crime. He also explained that he had not been well for some time.
Since then, the man has remained silent during questioning. The motive for the attack remains unclear, as does the question of why he voluntarily surrendered – apparently just before police would have captured him anyway.
Source: Blick