Man arrested after Swiss rave shooting that killed woman

A 43‑year‑old Swiss man was taken into custody following a shooting at a rave in Switzerland on Sunday. The arrest came after 22‑year‑old Italian citizen Maria Spinelli was killed and several others wounded at a techno party held on a horse‑racing track in Aarau, a municipality roughly 46 km (29 mi) west of Zurich. Police said the incident prompted a manhunt that lasted about 24 hours before Aarau cantonal authorities confirmed they had apprehended the suspect shortly before 01:00 on Monday (23:00 GMT on Sunday). “The probe into the nonstop series of events, the background, and the imaginable motive is presently underway. At this time, it is assumed that the perpetrator acted alone,” police said in a statement. Officers first received a report of gunfire at the Schachen racecourse at approximately 02:30 local time (00:30 GMT) on Sunday. Spinelli was pronounced dead at the scene; four men and one woman, all aged between 24 and 27, were transported to hospital with injuries described as ranging from minor to severe. An eyewitness speaking to Swiss outlet Blick recalled that he “suddenly heard the gunshots” minutes after the music stopped, initially mistaking the noise for fireworks. He added that he was instructed to hide by a man and a woman, the latter of whom was shot. Organizers had anticipated an attendance of 3,500 people. Aarau, home to roughly 23,000 residents, lies less than 40 km from the German border; local German media reported that police from across the frontier were assisting Swiss forces. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni previously said she was confident Swiss authorities would “shed afloat airy connected what happened and find anyone responsible.” Italy’s foreign ministry added that it was sending officials to Zurich “to intimately travel the investigation.” Switzerland maintains one of the highest rates of firearm ownership in Europe, although lethal shootings remain uncommon and stricter regulations have been introduced in recent years. The country’s last major shooting took place in 2001, when a gunman killed 14 members of parliament and local officials in Zug, near Lucerne, before taking his own life.