Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his condolences to the victims of a bloody shooting at one of the country’s top universities on Monday, and thanked police who took out the gunman and medics who treated the wounded.
Speaking ahead of a videoconference with officials, Putin said that “no words of sympathy can drown out the bitterness of losses, the pain of these losses, especially when it comes to young people who are just starting their lives. This is a huge disaster, and not only for families who have lost their children, but for the entire country.”
Six people have been confirmed dead after 18-year-old Timur Bekmansurov walked into Perm State University with a hunting rifle, and a further 28 were injured. The shooter was reportedly wounded as police responded to the incident and is now in intensive care. A junior traffic police officer is said to have shot the assailant, before stopping to provide first aid in an effort to keep him alive.
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“Law enforcement will do everything required to get to the bottom of this heinous crime and understand the reasons it happened,” Putin said, adding that local authorities are now working with the victims and their families.
In a twisted rant posted on social media ahead of the attack, Bekmansurov, a first-year student, said that he was motivated by hatred, but was not a religious or political terrorist. He added that he had considered using a car or a bomb as a weapon, but had settled on buying a gun legally instead.
The case has echoes of another tragic massacre earlier this year at a school in the Russian city of Kazan, which saw nine people lose their lives. The Kazan attacker, 19-year-old Ilnaz Galyaviev, shot up his former school and detonated an explosive device before being captured by cops.
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