Swiss rave shooting suspect has 'psychological problems': prosecutor

The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Swiss rave is suffering from psychological problems and has not spoken since his arrest, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The 43-year-old Swiss man turned himself in to police in Delémont after gunfire broke out early Sunday as an annual rave was ending at a racecourse in Aarau, the capital of the northern canton of Aargau. A 22-year-old Italian woman died and five other people were wounded.

Aargau prosecutor Christoph Ruedi said the suspect had remained silent in custody since Monday. Police found two pistols and an AK-74 assault rifle in his vehicle. Police chief Michael Leupold said the motive was still unknown. The suspect was not previously known to police and had no known links to extremist movements.

Investigators said the shooter acted alone and fired about 40 rounds from several positions outside the festival grounds. They said the victims appeared to have been selected at random. The five people initially reported wounded included four Swiss men and a German woman, aged between 24 and 31. Two remained in hospital Wednesday, but their lives were no longer in danger and they were expected to leave in the coming days. Another person later reported a minor injury, possibly caused by a ricocheting bullet. At least one bullet also struck a car carrying four people as it drove away.

Public prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation. Shootings are rare in Switzerland despite widespread gun ownership. Rave organizers said they were devastated, writing that the attack had broken their hearts: "A rave should always be a place of joy and love. Never a place where people are killed, injured or left in fear."

“

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