VIENNA: Three people have been killed after multiple gunmen opened fire across central Vienna on Monday (Nov 2), and at least one attacker remained on the run after what Chancellor Sebastian Kurz described as a "repulsive terrorist attack".
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer warned people to stay away from the centre of the city, adding that border checks were being reinforced and that children would not be required to attend school on Tuesday.
"We have brought several special forces units together that are now searching for the presumed terrorists. I am therefore not limiting it to an area of Vienna, because these are mobile perpetrators," Nehammer earlier told broadcaster ORF.
Kurz said the army would protect sites in the capital so the police could focus on anti-terror operations. Speaking to ORF, he said the attackers "were very well equipped with automatic weapons" and had "prepared professionally".
Police said on Twitter that at least one person had been killed and that the injured included a police officer. Vienna mayor Michael Ludwig told ORF that 15 people were being treated in Vienna hospitals, and that seven were in a serious condition. He said later that one of the wounded, a woman, had died of her injuries.
Police also said they had shot dead one of the attackers.
Nehammer said all six locations in the attack were near the street housing the central synagogue.
Jewish community leader Oskar Deutsch said on Twitter it was not clear whether the Vienna synagogue and adjoining offices had been the target and said they were closed at the time.
Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister told London's LBC radio he was living in the compound of the synagogue. "Upon hearing shots, we looked down (from) the windows and saw the gunmen shooting at the guests of the various bars and pubs," he said.
"The gunmen were running around and shooting at least 100 rounds or even more in front of our building," he said.
Videos circulated on social media of a gunman running down a cobblestone street shooting and shouting. Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.
ATTACKERS' IDENTITY UNKNOWN
The attack happened hours before a partial lockdown was due to go into place due to the rising spread of the coronavirus, with restaurants, cafes and hotels shuttered and restrictions on movement at night.
Authorities gave no indication of the identity of the assailants or reason for the attack.
"We really can't say anything about the background yet," Kurz told ORF. "Of course an anti-Semitic background cannot be ruled out."
In 1981, two people were killed and 18 injured during an attack by two Palestinians at the same Vienna synagogue. In 1985, a Palestinian extremist group killed three civilians in an attack at the airport.
In August, authorities arrested a 31-year-old Syrian refugee suspected of trying to attack a Jewish community leader in the country's second city Graz. The leader was unhurt.
"COWARDLY ACT"
Austria had until now been spared the sort of major attacks that have hit other European countries.
President Emmanuel Macron of France, which has seen two deadly knife attacks in Paris and Nice in recent weeks, issued a statement expressing shock and sorrow.
"This is our Europe," he said. "Our enemies must know with whom they are dealing. We will not retreat."
EU Council chief Charles Michel tweeted that the bloc "strongly condemns this cowardly act".
And Germany's foreign ministry tweeted that the reports from Austria were "horrifying and disturbing".
"We can't give in to hatred that is aimed at dividing our societies," the ministry added.
Czech police said they had started random checks on the border with Austria.
"Police are carrying out random checks of vehicles and passengers on border crossings with Austria as a preventive measure in relation to the terror attack in Vienna," Czech police tweeted.
Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said in a tweet Czech police were in touch with Austrian colleagues following the "dreadful news from Vienna".
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also "strongly condemned" the shootings.
"There is no room for hatred and violence in our common European home," he said on Twitter in Italian and German.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy93b3JsZC92aWVubmEtYXVzdHJpYS10ZXJyb3ItYXR0YWNrLXR3by1kZWFkLW1hbmh1bnQtZ3VubWVuLTEzNDQ2Nzg20gEA?oc=5
2020-11-03 01:41:15Z
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