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Manhunt underway after 1 killed, 5 injured in shooting at Swiss rave, police say

0:11
Gondola accident at Swiss Alps ski resort kills 61-year-old woman
Harold Cunningham/AFP via Getty Images
ByJessica Gorman and Kevin Shalvey
August 30, 2026, 7:27 PM

A manhunt was underway early on Sunday after at least one person was killed and five others were injured in an early morning shooting at a rave in Switzerland, police said.

A 22-year-old Italian woman died at the scene in the Schachen district of Aarau, a northern Swiss town, police said. Four men and a woman, who are all between 24 and 27 years old, were in the hospital on Sunday with injuries ranging from minor to severe, according to police, who said all the victims live in Switzerland.

Armed police officers patrol in Aarau following a shooting during a rave event near Aarau, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026.
Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP

Police told ABC News that the large techno event at the Schachen horse racing track had attracted some 3,500 people. Shots rang out between about 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m., police said.

Police are investigating the reason for the attack, Aargau Canton Police Chief Michael Leupold said at a press conference Sunday.

"The first hypothesis is a terrorist attack, the second hypothesis is a rampage shooting, and the third hypothesis is simply a criminal incident with a motive that is still unknown to us at this time, a settling of scores in some milieu or whatever it may be," according to Leupold.

Police officers patrol a street in downtown Aarau, Switzerland Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, following a shooting.
Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP

Police said cartridge casings recovered from the scene indicate at least two calibers of ammunition were used, suggesting the presence of a handgun or submachine gun as well as a larger weapon, such as an assault-type rifle.

A general view shows the area of Schachen horse racing track, where a shooting occurred earlier during a rave event, in Aarau, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026.
Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP

Police said earlier Sunday that the horse racing track, along with a swimming pool and a sports field, had been cordoned off following the shooting.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni identified the woman who was killed as 22-year-old Maria Spinelli, describing her as "a young Italian woman" and expressing her "deepest condolences" for her death.

"My thoughts also go to the other injured individuals, among whom there are two Italian citizens, and to all the people involved in this dramatic event," Meloni further said.

ABC News' Rashid Haddou, Dragana Jovanovic and Jamie Dorrington contributed to this report.

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