Swiss Police Say Suspect in Fatal Aarau Rave Shooting Acted Alone Without Ideological Motive
Swiss authorities reported that a 43-year-old gunman fired around 40 rounds into a crowd at an Aarau music festival, killing 22-year-old Italian national Maria Spinelli, before surrendering in Canton Jura.
The attack in Aarau
In the early hours of Sunday, an armed assailant targeted an outdoor techno music festival organized by Urban Agency Events near the Schachen horse racing track on Schachenstrasse in Aarau. The gunman arrived by vehicle near a camper site and approached the festival grounds on foot. He fired roughly 40 rounds from an assault rifle indiscriminately into the crowd. Maria Spinelli, a 22-year-old Italian national from Città Sant'Angelo in Abruzzo, died after a single bullet struck vital organs in her upper body. Between five and six other attendees suffered injuries, with two remaining hospitalized. As he retreated to the parking area, the attacker fired a handgun at an automobile, though its occupants escaped unharmed.
Suspect arrest and investigation
The suspect, a 43-year-old Swiss citizen residing in Delémont in Canton Jura, fled the scene in his vehicle and surrendered to cantonal police on Monday, 24 hours after the shooting. Investigators recovered three legally registered firearms from the trunk of his car, comprising an assault rifle and handguns, with ballistic tests matching the recovered cartridges to his weapons. Cantonal police commander Michael Leupold confirmed the suspect operated without accomplices.
With a probability bordering on certainty, we can say that the man we arrested is the person who shot at the rave attendees.
Chief prosecutor Christoph Ruedi stated that the suspect confessed to the shooting during initial questioning, mentioning long-standing psychological problems before invoking his right to silence. Investigators reported finding no extremist, political, or religious literature at his residence, categorizing the incident as an act of uncontrolled violence.
- Suspect finishes Swiss military service as a cook and surrenders his service weapon
- Gunman fires roughly 40 rounds into festival crowd and shoots at a vehicle
- Suspect surrenders to cantonal police in Delémont with firearms in his car trunk
- Aargau authorities hold press briefing and prosecutor releases victim's body for burial
Gun ownership and military background
The suspect had previously served in the Swiss military as a cook before concluding his service in 2013, at which time he surrendered his military service weapon. Cantonal authorities established that the firearms seized from his vehicle had been purchased privately under authorizations granted by Canton Jura authorities 20 years earlier. Although Switzerland modified its weapons laws in 2019 to introduce mandatory biennial background checks and individual weapon limits, the suspect acquired and registered his firearms under the prior regulatory system.
Family response and repatriation
The victim's family called for a thorough investigation into the regulatory circumstances that allowed an individual with mental health issues to hold registered firearms. Bruno Gallo, an attorney representing Spinelli's paternal family, emphasized the need for full institutional clarity regarding preventive oversight.
Maria was killed at just 22 years old and the circumstances of the crime have not yet been fully clarified. The information that has emerged so far does not allow the reconstruction of the facts to be considered complete.
On 2 September 2026, the Lenzburg-Aarau prosecution service formally released Spinelli's body to her family for burial. Attorney Antonella Crudeli, representing the maternal family, confirmed that consular and diplomatic steps are progressing to repatriate her remains to Italy.
