Gunman With Grudge Kills 14 People, Self

A gunman wearing a police vest and bearing a deadly grudge stormed a regional parliament in Zug, Switzerland, on Thursday, killing 14 people and wounding at least 10 others before fatally shooting himself.

The assault--unrelated to the recent terror attacks in the United States--was the worst on record in bucolic Switzerland, a country that prides itself on its peace-loving image and low rate of violent crime.

Police said the gunman, identified as Friedrich Leibacher, 57, shot his way into a joint meeting of the Zug regional government and parliament with a standard-issue Swiss army assault rifle, shouting abuse but seeming to fire randomly.

The fatally wounded lawmakers collapsed as others screamed and dived for cover. Leibacher turned his fire on journalists who had been covering the parliamentary debate and detonated an explosive, which blew out doors and windows and filled the chamber with smoke. Then he killed himself.

Three of the seven members of Zug’s government council were among the dead, and two more were wounded. But council member Robert Bisig, whose name the gunman reportedly called out amid his fury, was unharmed.

“It seemed to last an eternity,” Bisig said. “Then, when I saw a policeman come in wearing a police vest, I thought it would be another fake officer.”

It was “almost like an execution,” said banker Hanspeter Hausheer, a member of the parliament who was pulled to safety behind some benches.

Also among the dead were 11 of the 80 members of the regional parliament in Zug, a wealthy lakeside city and canton about 15 miles south of Zurich that is known as one of the country’s best tax havens.

The gunman’s car was discovered in a handicapped-parking place at the parliament, with a letter in which he referred to a “day of rage against the Zug mafia.” More weapons were found in the trunk.

Zug Police Chief Urs Hurlimann said Leibacher had been locked in a legal battle with local authorities since a fight with a city bus driver two years ago. His failure to win his case apparently developed into a grievance against local transport and justice officials.

The government officials were discussing an appeal by the gunman.

Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger ordered all national flags to fly at half-staff and then traveled to Zug, where police sealed off the center of town.

“Our democracy and freedom has been put into question,” an emotional Leuenberger said. “I’m just so shocked I can find no more words.”

Switzerland has a high rate of gun ownership but low crime. In a country of 6 million people, there are an estimated 2 million privately held firearms, including about 600,000 automatic rifles and 500,000 pistols.

In part, this is due to the nature of the country’s militia army. Rather than maintaining a full-time armed force, the government requires all men to undergo military training a few days or weeks each year, and they are given an assault rifle and 24 rounds of ammunition to keep at home.

The government even sells surplus weaponry to the public when new equipment is introduced.

Because of the low crime rate, public buildings have little security and politicians travel without protection.

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Special correspondent Markus Mathis in Zug contributed to this report.