On the morning of May 11, 19-year-old Ilnaz Galyaviyev staged an explosion and opened fire at Gymnasium No. 175 in the Russian city of Kazan. Nine people, including seven children, were killed on Tuesday and many more badly wounded after the shooting.

Apostrophe studied the biography of the terrorist and the details of the tragedy.

Ilnaz Galyaviyev was born on September 11, 2001. Hegraduated from Gymnasium No. 175 four years ago and as enrolled at the Tatarstan University of Management but was expelled one month ago for poor academic performance.

On April 28, Galyaviyev obtained a weapons permit. According to Life, a teenager bought the cheapest Hatsan ESCORT shotgun. The publication reports that the criminal was examined by a psychiatrist when obtaining a license and said he was a hunter.

Just God

A few days before the tragedy, Galyaviev created a Telegram channel called God.

"I'm like a god, I want everyone to admit of being my slaves. You have to do absolutely everything I want. There should be no animals left in the world, it's a mistake of the universe. I came to this world in the guise of a man to get rid of you all," he wrote in the channel.

Galyaviyev posted his photo in a mask with the inscription "God" at 9 a.m. and wrote that today he would kill many people at a school. He said he planned to commit suicide after the massacre but law enforcement officials prevented him from doing it.

Later, the Telegram administration removed the Galyaviyev channel.

At school, an armed criminal was noticed on the video camera footage. In the video, he waved a random passerby with a shotgun. Initially, it was reported that at the entrance to the school, a Kazan shooter killed a security guard. However, later Deputy Hinstein specified that there was no security at the gymnasium. Soon after the criminal entered the institution, an explosion occurred.

The majority of the children who died studied in the 8 "A" class. A 26-year-old teacher died as well.

When the shooting began, some students were jumping out of the windows. Other schoolchildren and teachers started locking up from the inside.

The terrorist was detained by the police when he was leaving the school. Later, he said he learned how to make bombs from the Internet. Ilnaz also stated that he hates everyone, gives up his parents and threatened to kill his mother.

During the interrogation, the criminal said, "I was born God. I just did not realize it immediately, not until months ago. No one told me about it, I did it [realized it] myself."

Neat and calm

Galyaviyev's school teachers characterized Ilnaz as quiet and non-abrasive student and noted that only his father always came to parental meetings.

Commenting on the incident, Ilnaz's father Rinat Galyaviyev said his son was the most ordinary person, did not express any negative thoughts and moods.

Ilnaz’s college teachers also described him as a neat, polite and non-conflicting guy.

“He was always neat and calm, and respectful of fellow students and teachers. Since January he was not attending his classes and did not appear to defend his industrial experience project or to sit three state exams, as a result of which he was expelled.”

Ilnaz Galyaviyev was not a member of any "death groups" or extremist communities in social networks.

Parents are in panic

Tatarstan leader Minnikhanov described the shooting as "a major tragedy for our republic" shortly after the building was secured. "We are deeply saddened that this has happened," he told the reporters. He described the detained assailant as a "terrorist" and said the 19-year-old shooter had a licence to carry a firearm.

Witnesses offered chilling accounts of the tragedy.

"Parents were running around, looking for their children," Andrei Stepanov, a cash-in-transit guard who lives close to the school, told AFP.

"I saw a girl with a wounded stomach being carried out unconscious," he added.

"We are in shock," Maria Mashkova, a 33-year-old hospital receptionist, said. "We didn't expect that this would happen to us."

She added that her son is a fourth-grader at the school but did not go to class that day.

On Tuesday afternoon, a makeshift memorial was set up outside the school gates where tables were filled with flowers, soft toys and candles, an AFP journalist reported from the scene.