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Police say the gunman was fascinated by the school shooting, but his motives remain a mystery.
After killing 10 people at Graz’s Borg Driers chüt Zengasse High School, the assailant committed suicide. He left school three years ago.
The incident in Austria’s second largest city was the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s recent history.
The motive for the attack remains unknown, but investigators can “confidently say they have a passion for school shootings for many years,” said Michael Lonegagar, head of the Styria Criminal Police Department.
“He praised not only the general acts, but also the perpetrators who performed these acts.”
Investigators said the gunman had meticulously planned the attack, but he had no idea why he chose the date he had for the massacre or why he stopped shooting when he did – the gunman still had many additional bullets.
The shooter had no previous criminal history. While searching for his home, police find plans for an explosive attack and a pipe bomb that would not work.
Officers also found digitally handwritten suicide notes addressed to their parents, but the director of Public Safety Franz Roof said they would not provide any motivation.
Of the 11 people injured in last week’s attack, nine remain in hospitals, Lonegagar said Tuesday, adding that they are not in danger.
The shooter used two firearms that he legally owned to carry out the attack. On Monday, Christian Prime Minister Stocker vowed to strengthen Austria’s gun laws.
In the wake of the attack, Glaz mayor Elke Karl called for a complete ban on private weapons. The gun license is “too fast,” she said last week.
Additional sources •AP
