The atmosphere is tense in the Helmut List Hall arena in Graz on Wednesday morning, writes the newspaper Kronen Zeitung. A meeting place has been set up for teachers and students in the city. Many are dressed in black and embracing each other in tears.
The attack is the deadliest in Austria in modern times. Seven women and three men were killed when a 21-year-old man opened fire at the Borg school on Tuesday morning. Nine of them were students, between 15 and 17 years old. A 47-year-old teacher was also killed.
An additional twelve people were injured, some of them seriously.
Suicide letter
The perpetrator is believed to have then taken his own life. According to reports in Austrian media, he was found dead in a school toilet.
As a result of the act, three days of national mourning have been declared. At 10 am on Wednesday, Austria stood still for a minute of silence. The funeral bell in the landmark Stefansdom in Vienna rang and all 900 vehicles in the capital's public transport stopped.
The motive is still unclear. During a house search at the 21-year-old's home, a suicide letter and a video containing only farewell messages to his parents were found, writes the newspaper Der Standard. A non-functional pipe bomb was also found.
Increased firearms
The perpetrator had a gun license, report Austrian media. This has triggered a heated debate about the country's gun laws, where, among other things, Graz Mayor Elke Kahr has demanded a ban on private gun ownership.
I think gun licenses are issued far too quickly, she said on Tuesday according to Der Standard.
Around 1.5 million firearms are registered in Austria, writes the newspaper. That is 400,000 more than just five years ago.
