Deadly School Shooting in Austria: Eleven Killed, Including a French Student, in Graz

A tragic act of violence shook Austria on Tuesday, June 10. A 21-year-old former student opened fire at a secondary school in Graz, in the southeast of the country, killing ten people and seriously injuring several others. The gunman later took his own life in the school’s restroom. The death toll now stands at eleven, including the shooter. Among the victims is a 17-year-old French student, confirmed by France’s Minister of Education, Élisabeth Borne.

An Unprecedented Attack in an Austrian School

The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. at the Dreierschützengasse Federal High School, which serves approximately 400 students aged 14 to 18. According to regional police, the attacker—an Austrian national from the region and a former student who had not completed his studies—used a legally owned rifle and handgun.

Special intervention units, including the elite Cobra force specialized in high-risk situations, quickly secured the site. Students were evacuated and cared for at a nearby location by crisis teams and the Red Cross.

The motive for the attack remains unknown. A federal criminal investigation has been launched. Authorities report that the suspect had no prior criminal record and no known ideological affiliations.

A Nation in Mourning: Three Days of National Grief Declared

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker visited the scene and called the shooting a “national tragedy.” He declared three days of national mourning and announced that a minute of silence would be observed across the country on Wednesday morning. “In these dark hours, our humanity is our strength,” he said.

This school shooting, the deadliest of its kind in Austria in decades, has triggered widespread shock and grief across Europe. European leaders expressed their condolences: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply moved,” French President Emmanuel Macron shared his “deep sorrow,” and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated, “Our thoughts are with our Austrian friends. We share in their mourning.”

A Rare Act of Violence in a Peaceful Country

Austria, often ranked among the world’s safest nations, is not accustomed to such violent incidents. The last school shooting in the country occurred in 1997. This attack in Graz comes amid a broader European context of rising violence in educational settings, with recent tragedies in Serbia, the Czech Republic, and France—where, coincidentally, a school staff member was fatally stabbed by a student on the same day.

“We feel your pain, as we too have endured similar tragedies,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said, referencing the 2023 Belgrade school shooting in which a 13-year-old student killed nine classmates and a school guard.