Ten dead as ‘bullied’ former pupil, 22, goes on shooting rampage at Austrian school

Policemen are seen in a street close to a school where, according to reports, several people died in a shooting. Picture: Getty

By Danielle de Wolfe

At least 10 people have been killed and a further 28 injured after a ‘bullied’ former pupil opened fire at a high school in Austria.

Listen to this article Loading audio…

The shooting, which took place in the city of Graz, southern Austria, took place at around 10am local time, with locals reportedly hearing gunshots from inside the high school.

According to local media, the suspected perpetrator, a ‘bullied former pupil’, was found dead in one of the school restrooms after turning the weapon on himself.

The 22-year-old was a former student at the high school, with police now investigating the incident, with a cordon currently in place on a street named Dreierschuetzengasse.

Confirming the deaths at midday local time on Tuesday, The State Criminal Police Office said the suspect is believed to be a former student who allegedly opened fire in two classrooms.

Describing the shooting as a “terrible tragedy”, the mayor of Graz, Elke Kahr, issued an update on the death toll, which includes at least seven students, an adult thought to be a teacher, and the suspected gunman.

The Styrian police have confirmed the situation is now under control with “no further danger is expected.”

Read more: South American cartels target the Channel in £200 million plan to get cocaine into Britain

Read more: Greta Thunberg deported from Israel after Gaza-bound ‘Freedom Flotilla’ seized

BORG Dreierschutzengasse high school is located in Graz, Austria’s second-biggest city, in the southeast of the country. Picture: Getty Images

In a statement posted to X, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker described the shooting as a “national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country”.

“This incomprehensible act has suddenly torn young people from the lives they still had ahead of them. There are no words for the pain and grief that we all—in Austria—are feeling right now.

“My thoughts are with the families and parents who lost their children, their siblings, and their loved ones. My condolences go out to those who suffered injuries and immeasurable emotional distress as a result of this unimaginable act of violence, to all the students and school staff.

“What happened today affects us all—as individuals, as parents, as a society. A school is a place of trust, security, and hope. The fact that this safe space was so brutally shattered leaves us stunned.

Thanking the emergency services for working “prudently under the most difficult circumstances”, he added that “Today, it’s all about compassion”.

“And about being there for one another. In these difficult times, humanity is our greatest strength.”

Two policemen are seen close to the school. Picture: Getty

Authorities have confirmed an Austrian special task force, known as Cobra, was deployed to the area following reports of gunfire.

Images emerging from the scene show several ambulances stationed close to the school, with armed police in body armour seen clustered close to the scene of the attack.

Two police helicopters were deployed to the school at the centre of the incident, authorities confirmed.

Austrian state news outlet ORF now reporting that all remaining teachers and students trapped in the building have been evacuated.

158 paramedics attended the scene following initial emergency calls, according to the Red Cross

A further 31 crisis intervention staff remain on-site, with 65 emergency vehicles called into operation following reports of gunfire.

Rescue paramedics are seen in a street close to a school where, according to reports, several people died in a shooting. Picture: Getty

Authorities initially confirmed five fatalities at the secondary school – a total that has since risen to nine including the gunman.

Students and teachers are believed to be among those dead and seriously injured, ORF reported.

In an update posted to X, local authorities confirmed: “The operation is still ongoing. The police helicopter is also in operation.”

Ambulance cars are seen in a street close to a school where, according to reports, several people died in a shooting. Picture: Getty

Elke Kahr (L), mayor of Graz, talks with a policeman close to the school. Picture: Getty

According to the outlet, the suspect behind the shooting – who is reported to be a pupil at the school – turned the gun on himself following the attack.

The husband of one teacher, who is reported to have been barricaded inside her classroom alongside several students, told local news outlet Krone that his wife heard “several gunshots”.

Injured students are currently being treated by medics at the nearby Helmut List Hall.

Meine Gedanken sind bei den Familien und Eltern, die ihr Kind verloren haben. pic.twitter.com/HDuwUX8wLe — Christian Stocker (@_CStocker) June 10, 2025

Graz is the second largest city in Austria, with a population of just under 300,000.

It comes as police confirmed a meeting point has been set up “for the students’ parents at the ASKÖ Stadium”.

Doctors treating a Colombian presidential hopeful shot twice in the head by a would-be assassin warned he was not responding well to treatment and that his condition remained grave.

Right-wing Senator Miguel Uribe, 39, was shot by a 15-year-old alleged hitman at close range while campaigning in Bogota on Saturday.

Medics at the Santa Fe Clinic said on Monday that he remained in “the most grave condition” and was “scarcely responding to the interventions and medical treatments.”

The brazen attack has shocked Colombians, most of whom believed decades of bloody political and narco-violence were largely in the past.

As police investigators searched for a motive and suspects, Uribe was battling for his life in a Bogota hospital.

Meanwhile, state prosecutor Luz Adriana Camargo said the alleged teen gunman arrested at the scene was believed to be part of a network of “sicarios” –– or hitmen –– working for hire.

The Glock pistol he is alleged to have used was purchased legally in the US state of Arizona in 2020, according to police chief Carlos Triana.

Related TRT Global – Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay in serious condition after being shot at political rally

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said authorities were working on several hypotheses to explain the attack.

Sanchez said that it could have been a message to Uribe’s conservative party ahead of the 2026 elections, or an effort to destabilise the country’s first-ever leftist government.

The shocking attack has already sparked a febrile political response in some quarters.

Opponents of President Gustavo Petro have accused the pugilistic left-wing leader of creating fertile ground for political violence.

Petro has joined politicians from across the political spectrum in denouncing the attempted assassination.

Powerful ex-president Alvaro Uribe – whose term brought a bloody head-on war against left-wing guerrillas – claimed that he had been warned by overseas intelligence of a second assassination plot, this time targeting him.

Southwest Colombia was rocked by a string of explosions and gun attacks that left at least three people dead on Tuesday, police said, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack designed to sow terror.

The attacks hit Cali – the country’s third largest city – and several nearby towns, targeting police stations and other municipal buildings.

In the town of Corinto, an AFP journalist witnessed the tangled wreckage of a car that had exploded next to a scorched and badly damaged municipal building.

The head of police Carlos Fernando Triana told La FM radio that assailants had attacked targets with car bombs, motorcycle bombs, rifle fire and a suspected drone.

Related TRT Global – Colombian presidential candidate has successful surgery after shooting

“There are two police officers dead, and a number of members of the public are also dead,” he said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but guerrillas who broke away from the once-powerful FARC militia are known to operate in the area.

Triana suggested the attacks may be linked to the third anniversary of the killing of FARC dissident leader Leider Johani Noscue, better known as “Mayimbu”.

The bombings came just days after the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate in Bogota, a brazen attack that has put the country on edge.

Conservative senator Miguel Uribe, 39, was shot twice in the head at close range by a 15-year-old alleged hitman while campaigning Saturday in Bogota.

That attack has stunned Colombians and prompted febrile speculation about who was responsible.

Thousands have taken to the streets in major cities to light candles, pray and voice their anger at the assassination attempt.

Many Colombians are fearful of a return to the bloody violence of the 1980s and 1990s, when cartel attacks and political assassinations were commonplace.

BOGOTA, June 10 (Reuters) – Colombian leaders were on edge on Tuesday as a series of bomb attacks rocked the nation’s southwest, while Senator Miguel Uribe continued fighting for his life days after being shot in the head during a campaign rally.

The incidents have shaken the nation and harkened back to the decades of fear and violence residents lived under caused by armed guerrillas, paramilitary groups and drug traffickers.

Sign up here.

Tuesday’s explosions left at least six people dead and 40 wounded, authorities said. While bomb attacks are not uncommon in Colombia, Tuesday’s came on the heels of the assassination attempt on Uribe, a member of the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party and a potential presidential contender.

Uribe, 39, was shot at a campaign event in a public park on Saturday in Bogota, the capital. He remains in critical condition, the hospital treating him said on Tuesday.

“No family in Colombia should be going through this,” Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, told reporters outside the hospital. “There is no name for this – it’s not pain, it’s not horror, it’s not sadness.”

Authorities said on Monday that they were investigating several lines of inquiry in the motive for Uribe’s shooting. A teen has been arrested, and President Gustavo Petro said the suspect had given his testimony to police.

In a video of the teen’s capture, independently verified by Reuters, he can be heard shouting that he had been hired by a local drug dealer.

Item 1 of 8 An image of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay of the opposition Democratic Center party is displayed, after he was shot during a campaign event, in Bogota, Colombia, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez [1/8] An image of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay of the opposition Democratic Center party is displayed, after he was shot during a campaign event, in Bogota, Colombia, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

In an earlier video as the suspect, who had been wounded, attempted to escape the scene, a voice can be heard shouting, “I did it for the money, for my family.” Reuters also verified the video.

The suspect pleaded innocent on Tuesday to charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm, Caracol Radio reported. He faces up to eight years in a rehabilitation center, and not prison as he is a minor.

Petro has broadly pointed the finger at an international crime ring as being behind the attack on Uribe, without providing details or evidence.

The explosions on Tuesday were likely from a guerrilla group that splintered off from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, according to the army and police.

Petro has ordered beefed-up security on government officials and opposition leaders in response to the attacks.

Uribe had been a staunch critic of Petro’s security strategy aimed at ending six decades of armed conflict, arguing that Petro’s approach of pausing offensives on armed groups despite the failure of peace talks only backfired.

The senator had two government-provided bodyguards protecting him at the time of the shooting, the head of the National Protection Unit said on Monday. Uribe’s lawyer, Victor Mosquera, said he had repeatedly asked for more.

Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Nelson Bocanegra; Additional reporting by Kylie Madry and Inaki Malvido; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Leslie Adler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Colombian presidential candidate in ‘critical condition’ following ‘assassination attempt’ – as 15-year-old arrested

People light candles during a protest against violence and in favor of peace in Medellin, Colombia, on June 8, 2025, the day after the attack on presidential candidate Miguel Uribe. Picture: Getty

By Jennifer Kennedy

A Colombian senator running to be the next president was shot in the head and seriously injured at a campaign rally in a park in Bogota.

Listen to this article Loading audio…

Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was shot and “critically” injured during a campaign rally at a park in the Fontibon area of the Colombian capital, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

The Colombian presidential candidate suffered two gunshot wounds when armed gunmen shot him from behind.

He appeared to be bleeding from his head as aides and people in the crowd helped him, in a video posted on social media.

Social media footage showed the presidential candidate being shot as he gave a speech to crowds at the rally.

The senator has been admitted to hospital in “critical condition” and is undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure” according to a medical report at the Santa Fe Foundation hospital.

A 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene in possession of a firearm, and is being treated for a leg injury, police chief General Carlos Triana said.

Read More: Anti-ICE protests erupt across LA – as officials vow to continue deportation operations

Read More: At least five Palestinians killed and 29 injured by Israeli gunfire near Gaza food point

A soldier guarding the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after an assassination attempt, looks up during a quake in Bogota, Colombia. Picture: Alamy

The suspect was arrested carrying a “9mm Glock-type firearm.”

Two other people were injured in the attack but the nature of their injuries has not been made public.

The senator’s wife Maria Claudia Tarazone wrote in a post on Mr Uribe’s X account that he is “fighting for his life” and urged Colombians to pray for him.

Maria Claudia Tarazona, the wife of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay who was shot at a political rally, talks to the press outside the clinic where he is being treated,. Picture: Alamy

Soy Maria Claudia Tarazona, esposa de Miguel.

Miguel está luchando en estos momentos por su vida. Pidamos a Dios que guíe las manos de los doctores que están atendiéndolo.

Les pido a todos unirnos en una cadena de oración por la vida de Miguel.

Pongo mi Fe en Dios 🙏🏼 — Miguel Uribe (@MiguelUribeT) June 8, 2025

She later said he survived an initial operation for the injuries.

Ms Tarazone said: “Miguel came out of surgery, he made it. Every hour is a critical hour. He fought his first battle, and it went well. This will take time.”

The hospital said Mr Uribe Turbay had undergone procedures on his head and his left thigh, and remained in intensive care as doctors try to stabilise his condition.

The government is offering a $730,000 (£540,000) reward for information and President Gustavo Petro said the investigation will focus on who ordered the attack.

“For now there is nothing more than hypothesis,” he said, adding that failures in security protocols would also be looked into.

The Colombian senator was accompanied by a team of 21 people at the time of the shooting, including councilman Andres Barrios, his office said.

Forensic investigators examine the scene where Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot and injured in the Modelia neighborhood of Bogota, Colombia. Picture: Getty

He planned to run as the presidential candidate for the right-wing Democratic Center Party in the Colombian presidential elections, which will take place on 31 May 2026.

If successful, he would succeed President Gustavo Petro, the Latin American country’s first left-wing leader.

The Democratic Center Party described the shooting as an “unacceptable act of violence.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that he condemned “the attempted assassination” the senator. He called the attack “a direct threat to democracy” and said “we stand in prayer with Miguel’s family, loved ones, and his supporters.”

People participate in a protest against violence and in favour of peace in Medellin, Colombia, on June 8, 2025, the day after the attack on presidential candidate Miguel Uribe. Picture: Getty

He called for those responsible for the attack to face justice.

Other Latin American leaders have sent messages of support.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said: “There is no room or justification for violence in a democracy.”

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said: “We condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.”

Uribe comes from a prominent Colombian political family. He is the grandson of Julio César Turbay Ayala, who governed the country from 1978 to 1982, and died in 2005.