A 21-year-old former student opened fire at a high school in Graz on Tuesday morning, killing nine people and injuring at least 12 others before taking his own life, Austrian authorities confirmed.

The attack occurred at the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, located roughly one kilometer from the historic center of Graz, Austria’s second-largest city. Police were alerted around 10 a.m. and deployed special forces to the scene. By 11:30 a.m., officials reported that the school had been fully evacuated and all students and staff were accounted for at a designated safe location.

The shooter, who had not completed his studies at the school, was not previously known to law enforcement. Authorities stated he was armed with two legally owned weapons and took his own life in a school restroom following the massacre. The motive remains unclear.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner addressed the media at a press conference in Graz, confirming the identity of the suspect as a former student. “This was an unimaginable act of violence against innocent lives,” Karner said.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker announced a national period of mourning to last three days. Flags will fly at half-staff, and a minute of silence is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday. “It is a dark day in the history of our country,” Stocker declared solemnly.

Images from the scene showed a heavy police presence, with emergency vehicles and a helicopter responding to the unfolding tragedy.

President Alexander Van der Bellen expressed his sorrow, stating, “This horror cannot be captured in words. These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. A teacher who accompanied them on their way.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also voiced her condolences. “Schools are symbols for youth, hope and the future,” she wrote on X. “It is hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence.”

Graz, a city of approximately 300,000 residents in southeastern Austria, has been left reeling from what is one of the deadliest school shootings in the country’s history.

Authorities continue to investigate the shooting as the nation grieves the lives lost in a place meant to nurture growth and learning.