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Monday 31 August 2026 07:08

Italian woman shot dead at Swiss rave

Manhunt under way after gunfire at Aarau Rave leaves 22-year-old from Abruzzo dead and five others wounded.An Italian woman has been shot dead and five other people wounded after gunfire broke out at a rave in northern Switzerland, with police still hunting for the attacker or attackers.  Maria Spinelli, 22, from Atri in the central Abruzzo region, was killed at the scene when shots rang out in the early hours of Sunday at the Aarauer Rave, held at the Pferderennbahn racecourse in Schachen, near Aarau. The seventh edition of the music event had drawn around 3,000 people.Witnesses said the shooting began shortly after 02.30 as the night was winding down and many attendees were heading for the exits. Some initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks before panic set in, with people shouting for others to take cover. Police said they found ammunition traces from two different weapons, including what is believed to be an assault rifle and a 9mm handgun.Five other people aged between 24 and 27 were wounded, two of them Italian nationals. Authorities said the two Italians had since been able to return home, while none of the injured were in life-threatening condition.Cantonal police commander Michael Leupold said investigators were pursuing three lines of inquiry: a terrorist attack, an indiscriminate shooting, or a criminal act of an as yet unknown nature.   German authorities have also been mobilised given the venue's proximity, around 20 km, to the border. Police said the suspect or suspects had already fled the scene by the time officers arrived.Organisers of the rave said in a statement they were "shocked, devastated and saddened" by what had happened. Who was Maria Spinelli Spinelli, who would have turned 23 in October, grew up in Città Sant'Angelo in the province of Pescara and trained at a hospitality school in Silvi. She had moved to Switzerland around a month ago to work as a waitress, pursuing a dream of gaining work experience abroad.   A keen techno music fan and regular on the Pescara club scene, she had gone to the rave to dance to her favourite genre. Her family has Roma origins, and her cousin Lois a motor-racing champion who has lived in the United States for several years. Italian reaction Prime minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her "deepest condolences" over Spinelli's death and thoughts for the other wounded, including the two Italian nationals, saying she trusted Swiss authorities to "shed full light" on the incident and identify those responsible.   Abruzzo regional governor Marco Marsilio said the region "stands with affection" alongside the victim's family and the communities of Atri and Città Sant'Angelo.   Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani received a call from his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis, who offered condolences and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.   The Italian foreign ministry said a task force led by the chargé d'affaires at Italy's embassy in Bern had been sent to Aarau to assist the families of the Italians involved and to liaise with Swiss authorities as the inquiry continues.

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An Italian woman has been shot dead and five other people wounded after gunfire broke out at a rave in northern Switzerland, with police still hunting for the attacker or attackers.
 
Maria Spinelli, 22, from Atri in the central Abruzzo region, was killed at the scene when shots rang out in the early hours of Sunday at the Aarauer Rave, held at the Pferderennbahn racecourse in Schachen, near Aarau. The seventh edition of the music event had drawn around 3,000 people.

Witnesses said the shooting began shortly after 02.30 as the night was winding down and many attendees were heading for the exits. Some initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks before panic set in, with people shouting for others to take cover. Police said they found ammunition traces from two different weapons, including what is believed to be an assault rifle and a 9mm handgun.

Five other people aged between 24 and 27 were wounded, two of them Italian nationals. Authorities said the two Italians had since been able to return home, while none of the injured were in life-threatening condition.

Cantonal police commander Michael Leupold said investigators were pursuing three lines of inquiry: a terrorist attack, an indiscriminate shooting, or a criminal act of an as yet unknown nature.
 
German authorities have also been mobilised given the venue's proximity, around 20 km, to the border. Police said the suspect or suspects had already fled the scene by the time officers arrived.

Organisers of the rave said in a statement they were "shocked, devastated and saddened" by what had happened.
Spinelli, who would have turned 23 in October, grew up in Città Sant'Angelo in the province of Pescara and trained at a hospitality school in Silvi. She had moved to Switzerland around a month ago to work as a waitress, pursuing a dream of gaining work experience abroad.
 
A keen techno music fan and regular on the Pescara club scene, she had gone to the rave to dance to her favourite genre. Her family has Roma origins, and her cousin Lois a motor-racing champion who has lived in the United States for several years.
Prime minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her "deepest condolences" over Spinelli's death and thoughts for the other wounded, including the two Italian nationals, saying she trusted Swiss authorities to "shed full light" on the incident and identify those responsible.
 
Abruzzo regional governor Marco Marsilio said the region "stands with affection" alongside the victim's family and the communities of Atri and Città Sant'Angelo.
 
Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani received a call from his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis, who offered condolences and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
 
The Italian foreign ministry said a task force led by the chargé d'affaires at Italy's embassy in Bern had been sent to Aarau to assist the families of the Italians involved and to liaise with Swiss authorities as the inquiry continues.
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