Wellington Menezes de Oliveira ( July 13 , 1987 &ndash; April 7 , 2011 ) , a 23-year-old former pupil of the school , was identified as the gunman . Police confirmed they had a letter stating the perpetrator 's intention to commit suicide . The police stressed that they found no concrete evidence of a religious or political motive for the attack . Texts found at Oliveira 's home suggest that he was obsessed with terrorist acts and Islam which he described as the most correct religion . A neighbor said Oliveira had turned to Islam two years beforehand after being a lifelong Jehovah 's Witness In his letters , Oliveira states that he attended the mosque in downtown Rio and that he would study the Qur ' an for four hours daily . He also describes his association with " Abdul " , who came from overseas and who boasted about having taken part in the September 11 attacks . He also indicated his desire to move to a Muslim majority country , either Egypt or Malaysia . However , Islamic leaders in Rio denied Oliveira 's claims
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Rio de Janeiro school shooting