Key points
- Police launched a large-scale manhunt in Aarau.
- Motive and suspects’ identities remain unknown.
ISLAMABAD: One person was killed and five others wounded, some seriously, in a shooting at a rave party in northern Switzerland early Sunday, prompting a large-scale police operation and manhunt.
Cantonal police in Aargau said the identities of the suspected perpetrators were unknown and the motive and exact circumstances had not yet been established.
The shooting took place at a racecourse in Aarau, about 40 kilometres west of Zurich, where the annual Aarauer Rave was being held.
Police spokeswoman Vanessa Rumpold said several shots were fired within a large crowd. Swiss newspaper Blick reported that the shooting occurred at about 2:30 a.m., shortly after the techno event was scheduled to end.
Around 3,500 people had attended the party, which began at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Witnesses told Blick that many partygoers initially thought the sound of gunfire was fireworks.
Some then fled to a nearby gymnasium for safety. One witness described hearing a burst of gunfire.
Police launch hunt for shooting perpetrator
Police said they launched what they described as a large-scale response and cordoned off parts of Aarau. Armed officers were deployed on roads and highways as far as 30 kilometres from the scene in an effort to locate the suspects.
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An army helicopter was also reportedly deployed over Aargau’s cantonal capital, alongside police officers, emergency responders and medical teams.
Police appealed to members of the public to provide photographs or videos that could help investigators reconstruct the incident and identify those responsible.
A video circulated by local media appeared to show several successive gunshots being fired, although authorities have not publicly confirmed the circumstances shown in the footage.
Switzerland has one of Europe’s highest levels of civilian gun ownership, partly reflecting its system of military service and the widespread availability of firearms. Despite this, serious gun violence is relatively uncommon.
The country tightened its firearms regulations in 2019. The shooting comes as authorities continue to establish whether the incident was linked to the rave itself or involved an altercation or other dispute. Police had not announced any arrests or identified a suspect by Sunday.
The shooting in Aarau comes against a history of relatively rare but serious gun violence in Switzerland and a much longer record of mass shootings at public gatherings elsewhere.
Switzerland has one of Europe’s highest levels of civilian gun ownership, yet mass shootings remain uncommon.
The country’s most serious shooting occurred in 2001, when a gunman killed 14 people at the cantonal parliament in Zug before taking his own life. The attack led to tighter security at government buildings and changes in how threats were handled.
Across Europe, public venues have repeatedly been targeted by gunmen and terrorist groups.
The 2015 Paris attacks killed 130 people at several locations, including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall. Reuters’ review of major European mass shootings also includes the 2011 Norway attacks, which killed 77 people, and the 2023 Prague university shooting, in which 14 people died.
Concerts and nightclubs have also been the scene of some of the deadliest shootings outside Europe.
In June 2016, a gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The attack occurred during a Latin music night and ended after a standoff with police.
In October 2017, a gunman opened fire from a hotel on thousands of people attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas. Sixty people were killed and hundreds wounded, making it one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.
More recently, the March 2024 attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow killed at least 144 people and injured scores of others. Islamic State claimed responsibility, and the attack prompted a major security response across Russia.
The Aarau shooting differs in scale from these major attacks, but its occurrence at a crowded music event highlights the security challenges facing authorities at concerts, festivals and nightlife venues
