'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAIAQEAAAAAmD//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAC//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDEAAAAB//xAAfEAACAQMFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwEEBREABgcTIaL/2gAIAQEAAT8ArLjddvV531beqrpGKpVtS8pI1QOCAoxA4Kfc6fydvZj2GF4cAEUzA9kefGv/xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhEx/9oACAECAQE/AG2H/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECIf/aAAgBAwEBPwC3p//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Monday, September 26, 2022, a neo-Nazi gunman, who was later identified as Artem Kazantsev, killed 15 people in a mass shooting at a school in Russia. The bloody rampage also left 24 people injured. Out of the 15 victims, at least 11 were children. The Nazi symbol-bearing gunman shot himself dead in a classroom before he could be apprehended.
Trigger Warning: The following story contains accounts some people may find disturbing.
According to reports, 34-year-old Artem Kazantsev, donning a black shirt with the swastika, a Nazi symbol, drawn on it in red, shot dead two security guards before entering School Number 88 in Izhevsk on Monday. Local officials confirmed that he was armed with weapons that had braided keychains, seemingly in a twisted tribute to the Columbine mass shooting.
According to ASTRA news agency, one of the keychains had "Columbine" written on it, while the other had the names "Eric" and "Dylan" on it. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999.
Artem Kazantsev, who was himself an alumni of the school, knew the layout of his alma mater well, and after fatally shooting the security guards, he opened fire at teachers and students indiscriminately. He then proceeded to shoot himself after entering a classroom. In pictures released by the Investigative Committee of Russia, the shooter can be seen lying in a pool of blood on the floor of a disorderly classroom.
Russia's Investigative Committee further said that they were looking into the gunman's suspected neo-Nazi links. In a statement, they said:
"Currently investigators...are conducting a search of his residence and studying the personality of the attacker, his views and surrounding milieu. Checks are being made into his adherence to neo-fascist views and Nazi ideology."
Investigators reveal Artem Kazantsev's past as a psychiatric facility patient
On Monday, Artem Kazantsev opened fire his way through his old school, killing multiple children and wounding at least 24 people. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the incident had deeply grieved President Vladimir Putin and described the tragedy as:
"...a terrorist act by a person who apparently belongs to a neo-fascist organisation or group."
Putin has condemned the tragic shooting as an "inhumane terrorist attack," according to Peskov.
Since the shooting, investigators have found various facets of Kazantsev's life and have tried to find a motive behind the mindless killing. The governor of Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov, told media outlets that Artem Kazantsev was registered as a patient in a "psycho-neurological" treatment facility.
One of Kazantsev's uncles, Mikhail Kazantsev, told ASTRA News Agency that his nephew was "mentally ill" and was undergoing treatment. He refused to elaborate further on the topic.
Apart from the references made to the Columbine shooting, the media reported that Kazantsev carried several pistol magazines that had the word "hatred" written on them in red.
Investigations are still ongoing.
