Did the Aarau Shooter Serve in the Military? Conflicting Information Persists

The question of whether the suspect in the Aarau racetrack shooting served in the Swiss military remains unresolved. At a media conference, Aargau police said he had been a military cook. His father now says that is untrue.

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military cook

The suspect was arrested on the night of Monday after allegedly killing a woman and injuring six other people at the Aarau horse-racing track. Police waited two and a half days before holding a media conference, where two officers and the lead prosecutor described the shooting, the weapons used, the suspect’s flight and his confession roughly 24 hours later.

Authorities disclosed few personal details. They described him as a 43-year-old Swiss man without a migration background who lived in the canton of Jura and probably had a mental illness. Police commander Michael Leupold said the suspect had been a “military cook,” had left the army in 2013 and had returned his personal service weapon.

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He has schizophrenia.

The suspect’s father later spoke to the Jura newspaper Quotidien Jurassien. He said his son had schizophrenia and had received psychiatric treatment in Delémont for three weeks about 20 years ago because he could no longer tolerate being around people or work normally. According to the newspaper report, the son had “never served in the military, contrary to what the authorities said,” meaning he could not have returned a service weapon.

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because he could no longer tolerate being around people and could no longer work normally

The Aargau cantonal police continue to regard the suspect’s military background as established, leaving contradictory statements about his past one week after the attack.

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never served in the military, contrary to what the authorities said