Russia School Shooting: 11 Kids Among 15 Dead; Putin Denounces 'Inhuman' Attack

The school is located in the centre of Izhevsk, a small city in central Russia with a population of about 6,50,000.

A gunman, armed with two pistols, reportedly opened fire in a school in Russia's Izhevsk on 26 September. 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

At least 15 people, including 11 children, were killed, and around 24 were wounded after a gunman opened fire in a school in Russia's Izhevsk on Monday, 26 September, AFP reported, quoting the interior ministry.

The gunman later killed himself. "The body of the man who opened fire has now been found by police. According to reports, he committed suicide," the interior ministry confirmed on Telegram.

He was a former pupil of the school, according to BBC. One local MP told the BBC that the attacker, who has been identified as Artem Kazantsev, had been armed with two pistols.

According to the Investigative Committee, the gunman wore a black t-shirt with "Nazi symbols," news agency AP reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack, calling it an "inhuman terrorist attack."

“President Putin deeply mourns the deaths of people, children at a school where there was a terrorist attack by a person, who apparently belongs to a neo-fascist group,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

No other details about the shooter or his motives have been released.

The school has almost 1,000 pupils and 80 teachers, according to BBC. It is located in the centre of Izhevsk, a small city in central Russia, located 960 km from the capital city of Moscow, in the Udmurtia region.

The governor of Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov, said in a video statement that they were still in the process of identifying the gunman who shot himself.

The school, which has students in grades 1-11, has been evacuated, and the area around it has been cordoned off.

(With inputs from BBC, AFP, and AP.)