15 killed in 'neo-Nazi' Russian school shooting
Fifteen people were killed and many others injured in a shooting incident at a school in the city of Izhevsk in Russia’s Urals region on Monday, the country's Investigative Committee has said.
The male suspect was wearing a ski mask and a black T-shirt featuring Nazi symbols, officials added. They said he died by suicide after the attack and his identity is currently being established.
At least eleven of the victims were students at School No. 88 in the city, which has a population of over 600,000.
Two security guards and several teachers were also killed, the Investigative Committee said.
The attack has left 24 people injured, including 22 children, according to the agency.
The suspect was armed with two nonlethal pistols that had been altered to fire live ordnance, Russian lawmaker Aleksandr Khinshtein has claimed.
“A tragedy happened in Udmurtia today,” Republic of Udmurtia Governor Aleksandr Berchalov told journalists.
The school where the shooting took place has been evacuated, according to the education ministry.
Footage from the scene showed students and teachers running from the building, as well as victims being carried to ambulances on stretchers.
Photos from inside the classrooms where students had barricaded themselves during the shooting have also appeared online.
Izhevsk is the capital of the Russian Republic of Udmurtia, and is located near the Ural mountains, which divide Europe from Asia.