Swiss police arrest rave shooting suspect after 24-hour manhunt
by Danielle Haynes & Darryl Coote · UPIAug. 30 (UPI) -- Authorities in Switzerland said they arrested a suspect Monday in a shooting at a rave that killed a woman and injured five others.
The Aargau cantonal police said the arrest of a 43-year-old man came shortly before 1 a.m. Monday after a 24-hour manhunt.
"The investigation into the exact sequence of events, the background and the possible motive is currently underway," a police statement said. "At this time it is assumed that the perpetrator acted alone."
The police force said the shooting occurred early Sunday during a rave at a race course in the Schachen neighborhood of Aarau, the capital of Switzerland's northern Aargau canton.
A 22-year-old woman was killed and four men and a woman between the ages of 24 and 27 were shot and taken to the hospital where they were assessed for injuries ranging from minor to severe, police said. All victims were residents of Switzerland.
The deceased was identified as Italian citizen Maria Spinelli by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said two people who suffered minor injuries in the shooting were also Italian citizens and have since returned home.
"The Italian Task Force ... is working to assist the families of the Italians involved in last night's rave shooting and to closely follow developments and the investigation, in coordination with the Swiss authorities," the ministry said in a statement.
Police Chief Michael Leupold told reporters at a press conference that they were investigating the crime, though investigators were unsure if it was a terrorist attack, a rampage shooting or a criminal act with some other motive.
Shell casings retrieved from the scene indicate two weapons were used, a handgun or submachine gun and a large weapon, such as a possible assault rifle, police said.
The cantonal government said in a statement that it was "deeply shocked" by the violence, saying, "Its thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those who had to witness this terrible event."
The police department said it plans to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday to provide updates in the case.
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Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famed "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on August 28, 1963. The speech galvanized the nation's civil rights movements and led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. File photo by UPI | License Photo