Shooting at Aarau rave leaves 22-year-old Italian woman dead

An armed attack struck the end of a rave party at the Schachen racetrack in Aarau, in the canton of Aargau. It happened between two and three in the morning on Sunday, 30 August, as the "Aarauer Rave" event, which had drawn around 3,500 people, was winding down.

A 22-year-old Italian woman living in Switzerland died at the scene. Five other people, four men and one woman aged between 24 and 27, were injured, with wounds ranging from minor to serious. None of them is in life-threatening condition.

According to Aargau cantonal police, the shots were fired from two different weapons, at two separate spots on the racetrack. It is still unclear whether one person or several were responsible. Investigators believe the shooter, or shooters, left the area afterward.

Three leads on a motive

Authorities are ruling nothing out. They are examining the possibility of a terrorist attack, an indiscriminate shooting with no specific target, and a criminal act, such as a settling of scores in the underworld.

More than a hundred cantonal police officers are involved in the investigation, supported by German police. Investigators are gathering testimony from people who were present and from victims able to speak.

The Aargau cantonal government said it was deeply shaken by the incident. Italy also responded: foreign ministers Ignazio Cassis and Antonio Tajani pledged full cooperation between the two countries, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences. Rome sent diplomatic representatives and police officials to Aarau to follow the investigation.

The identity of the shooter or shooters remains unknown for now.