Swiss rave shooting suspect reportedly had 'psychological problems'

The man suspected of fatally shooting an Italian woman at a rave party in Switzerland is suffering from “psychological problems” and has remained silent while in custody, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

According to AFP, the man turned himself in to police and confessed to the shooting, saying he had “been suffering from health problems for some time”. He is a 43-year-old Swiss citizen living in the canton of Jura.

The man is in custody and faces charges of intentional homicide, bodily harm and violations of firearms legislation.

Gunfire broke out early on Sunday as an annual rave was coming to an end at a racecourse in Aarau, the capital of Switzerland’s northern canton of Aargau, killing 22-year-old Italian woman Maria Spinelli.

According to the latest information provided at a press conference by lead investigator Matthias Schildknecht, six people were injured, rather than the five initially reported.

A search of the suspect’s home found no evidence of “ideological or extremist motives”, Aargau cantonal police commander Michael Leupold said at the press conference.

The man, who was not previously known to police, “left the army in 2013 and handed back his personal service weapon”, Leupold added.

Victim’s lawyer calls for full investigation

Maria Spinelli, who had recently moved to Switzerland to look for work, is believed to have been “hit by a bullet” that struck “vital organs in the upper part of her body”.

However, the family’s lawyer, Bruno Gallo, said in a statement that “the circumstances of the crime have not yet been fully clarified”.

“The Swiss investigators,” the lawyer said, “say that the man who has been arrested is thought to have suffered from psychiatric problems and, despite this, appears to have been in legal possession of firearms.”

“This is a profile that must be fully clarified, establishing how this was possible and examining any potential responsibility, at whatever level, of those whose duty it was to prevent a dangerous situation,” Gallo said.

The lawyer has also asked Italian authorities to arrange a state flight to repatriate Spinelli’s body.

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