Shooting at Aarau rave: 43-year-old Swiss man arrested

A shooting took place overnight from Saturday to Sunday during a rave held at the Schachen racecourse, a venue normally used for horse racing, in Aarau, in the canton of Aargau, in German-speaking Switzerland. A 22-year-old woman, an Italian citizen living in Switzerland, died during the incident; she was pronounced dead at the scene from her injuries.

Five other people were injured, with wounds ranging in severity from light to serious. They are a German woman and four Swiss men aged between 24 and 31. All were taken to hospital for treatment. The exact condition of each of the injured has not been disclosed individually. In total, the shooting therefore affected six people, including the victim who died.

Immediately after the incident, Aargau cantonal police launched a search for the person responsible. The investigation allowed officers to track down and stop a suspect shortly before 1am, in the night between Sunday and Monday. He is a 43-year-old Swiss man, arrested on suspicion of being the perpetrator of the shooting. Authorities have not specified how officers managed to locate and detain the man. Regarding his identity, police have not released any further information beyond his age and nationality.

Investigation under way

The investigation is continuing in order to establish the precise sequence of events, the context and a possible motive. For now, according to the Aargau police, the working assumption is that there was a single perpetrator.

Authorities will hold a new press conference on the case on Wednesday, September 2, at 2pm. Until then, no further information will be released on the shooting or on the state of the investigation.