Shooting at Aarau Rave: 22-year-old Italian woman killed, five injured
Multiple shots were fired at a techno festival on the racecourse in Aarau during the night of Sunday. A 22-year-old woman died and five other people were injured.
Major manhunt following fatal shooting at "Aarau Rave VOL. 7"
Multiple shots were fired at a techno rave on the racecourse of the Aargau Racing Association in Aarau during the night of Sunday. As WELT reports, a 22-year-old Italian woman was killed; five other people sustained light to severe injuries. Among the injured is also a German national.
Two different calibres recovered at crime scene
According to Swiss media reports, the shots were fired between 2 and 3 a.m., shortly after the end of the event, which was expected to attract around 3,500 visitors. Operations commander Matthias Schildknecht stated at a press conference in the evening that emergency services had recovered projectiles and ammunition traces of two different calibres at the scene. One involved nine-millimetre ammunition, the type typically used in pistols or submachine guns. In addition, over a dozen cartridge cases were recovered, the kind used with long guns – such as assault rifles.
"At this point in time, we cannot make final or further statements about the perpetrator or perpetrators," Schildknecht emphasised. Hours after the incident, investigators were unwilling to commit to whether they were investigating a terrorist act, a rampage killing, or a settling of scores in criminal circles – or whether there was one or more perpetrators.
Deceased: Maria Spinelli, 22 years old, resident of the region
The Aargau cantonal police confirmed via social media service X that the 22-year-old died of her injuries at the crime scene. The victim was Maria Spinelli, an Italian who was living in the region. Four Swiss men and one German woman aged between 24 and 31 were taken to hospital.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences on X: "I want to express my deepest sympathy for the death of Maria Spinelli, the young Italian who fell victim to the tragic shooting in Aarau, Switzerland."
Witnesses initially mistook shots for fireworks
Several eyewitnesses told Swiss newspaper Blick how the evening escalated. One visitor reported that the shots were initially mistaken for fireworks. Then someone called "Everyone down!", whereupon the group hid under the DJ booth. A woman was struck by a bullet. All visitors still present – at the time of the shots there were said to be well over 100 people – were taken by police to a gymnasium. "It was terrifying," the witness told the newspaper.
DJ Tekibo: "Techno should be a place of freedom"
The event DJ also spoke out. DJ Tekibo wrote on an Instagram story that what had happened was "absolutely heartbreaking". He had lost an important person and could not find the right words. "Techno and raves should be a place of freedom and safety," he wrote, announcing that he would withdraw for a time.
The incident occurred at "Aarau Rave VOL. 7" – an established event held for years on the grounds of the Aargau Racing Association, around 40 kilometres west of Zurich.
Manhunt underway, no acute danger to public
A spokesman for the Aargau cantonal police told Blick there were "no concrete leads on the perpetrators". It was considered "rather unlikely" that the perpetrators were still in the Aarau area; a repeat endangerment by the same perpetrators could be ruled out. There was "no acute danger situation", but the public should remain vigilant.
Police nevertheless called on people to avoid the extensively cordoned-off area: "Stay away from the area." As a routine measure, German authorities are involved in cross-border manhunt operations, according to a spokesman for the Freiburg police headquarters.
Aarau swimming pool remains closed due to the ongoing major operation until further notice. The circumstances of the incident – including motive, number of perpetrators and whereabouts of the suspects – remain unclear.
Source: WELT