School killings leave stunned Austria and France searching for answers

Two shocking attacks wrong 2 hours of each other, successful France and Austria, person near parents and governments reeling and astatine a nonaccomplishment however to support schoolhouse students from random, deadly violence.

At astir 08:15 connected Tuesday, a 14-year-old lad from an mean household successful Nogent, eastbound France, drew retired a room weapon during a schoolhouse container cheque and fatally stabbed a schoolhouse assistant.

Not agelong afterwards successful south-east Austria, a 21-year-old who had dropped retired of schoolhouse 3 years earlier, walked into Dreierschützengasse precocious schoolhouse successful Graz astatine 09:43, and changeable dormant 9 students and a teacher with a Glock 19 handgun and a sawn-off shotgun.

In some countries determination is simply a request for solutions and for a greater absorption connected young radical who edifice to specified violence.

Austria has ne'er seen a schoolhouse onslaught connected this scale, but the French stabbing took spot during a authorities programme aimed astatine tackling the maturation successful weapon crime.

The Graz shooter, named by Austrian media arsenic Arthur A, has been described by constabulary arsenic a precise introverted person, who had retreated to the virtual world.

His "great passion" was online first-person shooter games, and helium had societal contacts with different gamers implicit the internet, according to Michael Lohnegger, the transgression probe main successful Styria, the authorities wherever it happened.

A erstwhile pupil astatine the Dreierschützengasse school, Arthur A had failed to implicit his studies.

Arriving astatine the school, helium enactment connected a headset and shooting glasses, earlier going connected a deadly seven-minute shooting spree. He past killed himself successful a schoolhouse bathroom.

He owned the 2 guns legally, had passed a intelligence trial to ain a licence and had respective sessions of weapons grooming earlier this twelvemonth astatine a Graz shooting club.

This has sparked a large statement successful Austria astir whether its weapon laws request to beryllium tightened – and astir the level of attraction disposable for troubled young people.

It has emerged that the shooter was rejected from the country's compulsory subject work successful July 2021.

Defence ministry spokesperson Michael Bauer told the BBC that Arthur A was recovered to beryllium "psychologically unfit" for work aft helium underwent tests. But helium said Austria's ineligible strategy prevented the service from passing connected the results of specified tests.

There are present calls for that instrumentality to beryllium changed.

Alex, the parent of a 17-year-old lad who survived the shooting, told the BBC that much should person been done to forestall radical similar Arthur A from dropping retired of schoolhouse successful the archetypal place.

"We know… that erstwhile radical sprout each different similar this, it's mostly erstwhile they consciousness unsocial and driblet retired and beryllium outside. And we don't cognize however to get them backmost in, into society, into the groups, into their adjacent groups," she said.

"We, arsenic grown-ups, person got the work for that, and we person to instrumentality it now."

President Alexander Van der Bellen raised the anticipation of tightening Austria's weapon laws, connected a sojourn to Graz aft the attack: "If we travel to the decision that Austria's weapon laws request to beryllium changed to guarantee greater safety, past we volition bash so."

Austria has 1 of the astir heavy equipped civilian populations successful Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms per 100 people.

Although determination person been schoolhouse shootings present before, they person been acold smaller and progressive acold less casualties.

The politician of Graz, Elke Kahr, believes nary backstage idiosyncratic should beryllium capable to person weapons astatine all. "Weapons licences are issued excessively quickly," she told Austria's ORF TV. "Only the constabulary should transportation weapons, not backstage individuals."

• What we cognize astir Austria schoolhouse shooting
• Graz successful daze and grief aft attack

Armed gendarmes were contiguous astatine the entranceway to the Françoise Dolto mediate schoolhouse successful Nogent, 100km (62 miles) eastbound of Paris, erstwhile a teen pulled retired a 20cm room weapon and repeatedly stabbed Mélanie G, who was 31 and had a four-year-old son.

The lad accused of carrying retired the execution told constabulary that helium had been reprimanded connected Friday by different schoolhouse adjunct for kissing his girlfriend.

As a effect helium had a grudge against schoolhouse assistants successful general, and seemingly had made up his caput to termination one. Schools were closed connected Monday for a slope holiday, and Tuesday was his archetypal time back.

The authorities prosecutor's archetypal appraisal was that the boy, called Quentin, came from a mean functioning family, and had nary transgression oregon intelligence wellness record.

However, the kid besides appeared detached and emotionless. Adept astatine convulsive video games, helium showed a "fascination with death" and an "absence of reference-points relating to the worth of quality life".

The Nogent onslaught does not acceptable the template of anti-social younker transgression oregon pack unit seen successful France until now.

Nor is determination immoderate proposition of indoctrination implicit societal media.

According to the prosecutor, the lad did small of that. He had been convulsive connected 2 occasions against chap pupils, and was suspended for a time each time.

There is nary household breakdown oregon deprivation and schoolhouse officials described him arsenic "sociable, a beauteous bully student, well-integrated into the beingness of the establishment".

This twelvemonth helium had adjacent been named the people "ambassador" connected bullying.

For each the calls for greater information astatine schools, this transgression took spot virtually nether the noses of equipped gendarmes. As Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau enactment it, immoderate crimes volition hap nary substance however galore constabulary you deploy.

For much accusation connected the boy's authorities of mind, we indispensable hold for the afloat psychologist's report, and it whitethorn good beryllium that determination were signs missed, oregon determination are household details we bash not yet cognize about.

On the look of it, helium is possibly much a middle-class loner, and his evident normality suggests a transgression triggered by internalised intelligence processes, alternatively than by peer-driven relation oregon emulation.

That is what strikes the chord successful France. If an mean lad tin crook retired similar this from watching excessively galore convulsive videos, past who is next?

Significantly, the French authorities had lone conscionable approved showing the British Netflix bid Adolescence arsenic an assistance successful schools.

There are differences, of course.

The lad arrested for the sidesplitting of a teenage miss successful the TV bid yields to evil "toxic male" influences connected societal media – but determination is the aforesaid question of teenagers being made susceptible by isolation online.

Across the governmental spectrum, determination are calls for enactment but small statement connected what should beryllium the priority, nor anticipation that thing tin marque overmuch difference.

Before the killing, President Emmanuel Macron had angered the close by saying they were excessively obsessed with crime, and not sufficiently funny successful different issues similar the environment.

The Nogent onslaught enactment him connected the backmost foot, and helium has repeated his pledge to prohibition societal media to nether 15-year-olds.

But determination are 2 difficulties. One is the practicality of the measure, which successful mentation is being dealt with by the EU but is succumbing to endless procrastination.

The different is that, according to the prosecutor, the lad was not particularly funny successful societal media. It was convulsive video games that were his thing.

Prime Minister François Bayrou has said that income of knives to under-15s volition beryllium banned. But the lad took his from home.

Bayrou says airport-style metal-detectors should beryllium tested astatine schools, but astir heads are opposed.

The populist close wants tougher sentences for teenagers carrying knives, and the exclusion of disruptive pupils from regular classes.

But the lad successful Nogent was not a occupation child.

About the lone measurement everyone says is needed is much proviso of schoolhouse doctors, nurses and psychologists successful bid to observe aboriginal signs of pupils going disconnected the rails.

That of people volition necessitate a batch of money, which is different happening France does not person a batch of.