Editing Erfurt school massacre (section)

==Background==
Robert Steinhäuser, a 19-year-old man born on 22 January 1983, was the perpetrator of the massacre. He was a student of the [[Gutenberg-Gymnasium Erfurt|Gutenberg-Gymnasium]] until early October 2001 and had previously threatened a teacher.<ref name="CNN2002">{{Cite news |date=2002-04-28 |title=Gunman hid expulsion from parents |language=en-US |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/04/28/germany.shooting/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=2023-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020430031025/https://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/04/28/germany.shooting/index.html |archive-date=2002-04-30}}</ref><ref name="GuardianTeacher2002" /> His academic performance declined in 1999, leading him to drop out of the year shortly before the final exam. He was allowed to repeat the 11th year at the request of his parents, approved by the principal. He joined a gun club in October 2000 and acquired a [[Firearms license|gun license]].<ref name="RTL2012" />

At the end of September 2001, he had spent a few days away from school, for which he presented a mandatory medical certificate which was quickly identified as a [[forgery]]. Because of this forgery, Steinhäuser was expelled by the principal.<ref name="GuardianTeacher2002" /><ref name="RTL2012">{{Cite news |last=Rudolph |first=Annekathrin |date=2012-04-26 |title=Amoklauf in Erfurt: Wer war Robert Steinhäuser? |language=de |trans-title=Rampage in Erfurt: Who was Robert Steinhäuser? |work=[[RTL (German TV channel)|RTL]] |url=https://www.rtl.de/cms/amoklauf-in-erfurt-wer-war-robert-steinhaeuser-1100936.html |access-date=2019-04-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=Edmund L. |date=2002-04-27 |title=Shooting Rampage at German School |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/27/world/shooting-rampage-at-german-school.html |access-date=2021-04-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Due to the regulations used in Thuringia at the time, Steinhäuser, on expulsion, was without any qualifications and therefore had very limited job opportunities.<ref name="TheLocalGermany2017">{{Cite news |date=2017-04-26 |title=How a school shooting 15 years ago changed Germany |language=en-US |website=The Local Germany |url=https://www.thelocal.de/20170426/how-a-school-shooting-15-years-ago-changed-germany/ |access-date=2021-04-09}}</ref>

Steinhäuser did not tell his parents he had been expelled, and pretended he was still attending school. The day of the shooting he told his parents he was going to school to take a maths exam.<ref name="CNN2002" /> The investigation revealed that Steinhäuser had been using the Internet to research the [[Columbine High School massacre]], and had related files saved on his computer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Böhmer |first=Matthias |title=Amok an Schulen: Prävention, Intervention und Nachsorge bei School Shootings |date=2018-12-05 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |isbn=978-3-658-22707-4 |editor-last= |editor-first= |location=Wiesbaden |page= |language=de |trans-title=Amok at Schools: Prevention, Intervention and Aftercare in School Shootings}}</ref>