The school shooter from the Austrian city of Graz was a fan of such acts and their perpetrators, investigators said on Tuesday.
The police have confirmed findings that the perpetrator had generally developed “a significant passion” for shooting sprees at educational institutions over the years, chief investigator Michael Lohnegger said in Graz.
The 21-year-old Austrian shot nine pupils and a teacher at his former secondary school a week ago. He then killed himself.
Shortly before the attack at his former school in Graz, the young man reportedly took a photo of his combat boots and uploaded it to the platform X, Lohnegger reported at a press conference in the capital of the federal state of Styria.
Lohnegger said that the gunman brought five pistol magazines with a total of 75 rounds of ammunition for his pistol to the bloodbath at his former school.
After the attack, 42 bullets for the pistol and 17 cartridges for a double-barrelled shotgun, which the perpetrator also had with him, were found. The number of shots fired has not yet been determined, it was stated.
Police: Many copycats – 30 deployments in graz alone
Since the shooting spree, many copycats have been keeping the police busy with false attack warnings, the police chief of Styria, Gerald Ortner, reported. In Graz, officers have had to respond to more than 30 deployments since the incident, he said.
The police chief also reported that the act of the 21-year-old is increasingly being glorified on social media. Ortner pointed out that condoniing a criminal act is prohibited under Austrian law and can be punished with a multi-year prison sentence.
Austria to tighten gun laws
Investigators described the attacker a few days after the shooting spree as a withdrawn loner who was passionate about playing first-person shooter games on the computer.
Plans for a bomb attack on the school and a non-functional pipe bomb were found in the perpetrator’s apartment.
In response to the shooting spree, the Austrian government intends to tighten gun laws. A package of measures is to be presented on Wednesday.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in Graz that changes to psychological tests, age limits, and access requirements in connection with the acquisition of weapons were necessary.
Candles are laid in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna in commemoration of the victims of the mass shooting at a school in Graz. Georg Hochmuth/APA/dpa
Candles are laid in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna in commemoration of the victims of the mass shooting at a school in Graz. Georg Hochmuth/APA/dpa