An armed man storms a university in Perm, Russia, killing several people. It is not the first such attack on an educational institution in Russia this year.
Perm – A man shot and killed eight people in a university in the Russian city of Perm in the Urals. Around 20 people were injured, several authorities said on Monday. The attacker was therefore killed. At first there was talk of an arrest.
Videos on the Telegram social network showed people jumping out of windows. Inside the building, students barricaded the doors with chairs and tables. They had been asked to lock themselves in the classrooms. Lecturers said they had holed up in front of the masked man in their offices.
President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax agency. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed the ministers for health and education to fly to Perm, some 1,200 kilometers east of Moscow, to support the university.
Deed announced on the Internet
According to media reports, the perpetrator was a young man who had previously announced his act on social networks. He did not name a clear motive.
It is not the first fatal attack on an educational institution in Russia. In May, a 19-year-old killed nine people in a school in Kazan in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. Most of the victims were children. More than 20 people were injured. The man was arrested for murder and is on remand. In 2018, an 18-year-old vocational student shot and detonated an explosive device in the city of Kerch on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia. 20 people died.
After the rampage in the city of Kazan around 720 kilometers east of Moscow, there were calls for more control over gun owners – for example for an electronic database in which medical examinations are recorded. Accordingly, psychological suitability and possible drug use should also be checked. Prime Minister Mischustin had announced that he would also review the security precautions at schools and, if necessary, strengthen them. This also applies to holiday camps. dpa
