Gunman in deadly Swiss rave attack ‘lone perpetrator’, police say

The man suspected of fatally shooting an Italian woman at a rave in Switzerland’s Aarau was a “lone perpetrator”, according to police.

The commander ⁠of the Aargau cantonal police, Michael Leupold, said at a news conference on Wednesday that there was no indication anyone else had been involved in the attack early on Sunday that killed a 22-year-old Italian woman and wounded five people.

“We, therefore, ‌assume with a high degree of certainty that the shooting was the act of one individual,” Leupold said.

The suspect, a 43-year-old Swiss man, handed himself in on Monday to police in Delemont in northwestern Switzerland’s Jura canton and has remained silent while in custody, according to prosecutors.

Leupold said the motive for the attack was not known and the suspect was not previously known to police.

The suspected gunman suffers from “psychological problems” and has maintained his silence since his arrest, Aargau cantonal prosecutor Christoph Ruedi said.

The attack has been met with public shock in Switzerland, where shootings, particularly those involving several victims, are rare despite widespread gun ownership.

Authorities said two pistols and an AK-47 assault rifle were found in the suspect’s car.

The rave’s organisers, meanwhile, said they were “shocked and devastated”, writing on their website that they “will do everything in our power to support the police in their work”.

“A rave should always be a place of joy and love. Never a place where people are killed, injured or left in fear.”