Swiss authorities confirmed on Wednesday that they have classified the deadly attack at a rave in the town of Aargau last weekend as a “rampage” and that the suspect had turned himself in to police.
The authorities arrested a 43-year-old Swiss man on urgent suspicion nearly 24 hours after the crime.
Investigators say he fired the shots that killed a woman and injured six people. “He had no confidants or accomplices,” prosecutor Christoph Rüedi said.
Initial findings suggest the suspect has a mental illness.
A motive remains unclear, and he is not known to have previous convictions, Rüedi added. The man served as an army cook and left the military in 2013.
According to police, the man had driven to the grounds of the Aargau Racing Club, where a techno music event had been taking place since Saturday. The rave was practically over when the shots were fired. However, there were still more than 100 people on the grounds.
The man is said to have first fired around 40 shots indiscriminately into the crowd with an assault rifle. He is said to have fired a pistol at another location. A Kalashnikov and two pistols were found in his car.
According to the authorities, the suspect turned himself in during the early hours of Monday and is now in pre-trial detention.
Criminal proceedings have been brought against him for intentional homicide, murder, multiple counts of endangering life and contravention of the Weapons Act.
The 22-year-old woman who was fatally injured was Italian. Five people were injured by gunfire, while another person, who only came forward later, was apparently hit by a “ricochet” bullet, police said.
At first it was unclear whether there was one perpetrator or several. Police launched a large-scale manhunt which also involved German authorities.