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Who is suspect in Vienna attack: Several feared dead in ‘terrorist’ shooting

 

The first gunshots were heard after 8pm near a synagogue. Media: “Hostages at the Hilton”. The Austrian police launch a “full-scale” operation in the area. The owner of the Interior: “Attack probably carried out by several people”. One attacker would have been killed and the other could be on the run. Appeal to residents to stay indoors

 

At least one person was killed and several people were reported injured in what officials described as a terrorist attack Monday night in the heart of Austria’s capital.


Terror in Vienna: on Monday evening, several attackers went into action in six
different places in the city. The official toll is one dead and 15 injured, seven of whom are in serious condition, as well as one bomber killed by the police.


From the first reconstructions, the first gunshots exploded near the synagogue, in Seitenstettengasse and later in other areas of the city (PHOTO). After the shooting, the Austrian police launched a “full-scale” operation in the area. Some media had reported the news of seven dead and several injured, but the news was not confirmed. For the Minister of the Interior it was an attack, probably carried out by several people. 

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At least one person has been killed in central Vienna and several more are feared dead after a shooting in central Vienna, according to the city’s police.

Austrian interior minister Karl Nehammer said he believed the incident was an “apparent terror attack”.

A number of suspects armed with rifles launched the assault in six locations, police said. Among the injured was a police officer.

One attacker was shot dead by officers during a large-scale security incident.

Police have urged people to avoid the area and not to take public transport.

Road blocks have been set up around the city centre. Footage posted on social media showed people running as what was reported to be gunshots could be heard.

“At the moment I can confirm we believe this is an apparent terror attack,” Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told Austrian broadcaster ORF.

One of the locations of the shooting was reportedly on a street near a synagogue.

Jewish community leader Oskar Deutsch tweeted that it was unclear if the Vienna synagogue was targeted in the attack as it was closed at the time.

“It sounded like firecrackers, then we realised it was shots,” said one eyewitness quoted by public broadcaster ORF, according to AFP news agency.

An officer guarding the synagogue was injured, reported newspaper Kronen Zeitung.

French president Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that Europe must not “give up” in the fact of attacks.

“We the French people share the shock and grief of the Austrian people, struck this evening by an attack in the heart of their capital, Vienna. After France, a friend of ours is attacked. This is our Europe. Our enemies must know who they are dealing with,” he said.
Who is suspect in Vienna attack

The police say there is at least one death.

Multiple gunmen opened fire in central Vienna on Monday night, killing at least one person and wounding many others, including a police officer, government officials said. They said that one attacker had been killed.

At least 15 people were wounded in the attack, according to a spokesman for the local hospital association. It was unclear how serious the injuries were.

“At the moment we assume there are several perpetrators,” said Karl Nehammer, Austria’s interior minister. “Unfortunately there are also several injured, probably also dead.”

He called the episode a terrorist attack.

The shooting took place in the heart of the Austrian capital, hours before the midnight start of a nationwide lockdown, one of several being imposed in Europe to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The target remains unclear.

The area where the shooting took place is packed with bars and Vienna’s main temple, the Seitenstettengasse synagogue, but it was not clear if they had any connection to the violence.

The president of the Jewish Religious Community in Austria, Oskar Deutsch, said on Twitter that the shooting had occurred “in the immediate vicinity” of the temple, but that it was closed at the time.

“It is not clear right now whether the main temple was the target,” he said.

Police officials described a chaotic situation, with several “exchanges of shots.” Emergency vehicles blocked off streets and a streetcar line through the area was shut down.

The police took to Twitter to urge restraint.

“Please don’t start any rumors, accusations, speculations or unconfirmed numbers of victims,” they said. “That does not help at all! Stay inside, take shelter, Keep away from public places.”

Who is suspect in Vienna attack

Bystanders posted dramatic videos.

Several people posted dramatic videos of what appeared to be the shooting and its aftermath.

One video showed people aiding a wounded person lying in a pool of blood, just outside a restaurant on Ruprechtsplatz and less than a mile from the Austrian Parliament building. Several chairs in the restaurant’s outdoor area had been overturned, as if abandoned in a hurry.

Another video showed a man in civilian clothing emerging from a bar or restaurant, then firing a rifle twice down a street.

Yet another video appeared to show the same gunman on the same street, shooting a man with a long gun at close range, then returning seconds later to shoot him twice more with a handgun.

Other videos showed people running for cover or ducking behind obstacles as shots echoed through the streets, and heavily armed police officers taking up positions.

On Twitter, the Vienna police pleaded with witnesses not to post videos and pictures to social media, but instead to send them to the authorities.

Associated Press

VIENNA — The Vienna ambulance service says that there have been fatalities in the attack in the Austrian capital late Monday.

The Austria Press Agency quoted ambulance service spokesman Daniel Melcher saying there were several dead and injured, though he was unable to provide a number yet.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

VIENNA — The Austria Press Agency reported Monday that the country’s top security official says several people have been injured in an attack in the capital Vienna and there may be fatalities.
Who is suspect in Vienna attack
APA quoted Karl Nehammer as saying that authorities believe there were several attackers involved and that it was still ongoing. It earlier cited Nehammer’s office saying that one attacker was killed and another could be on the run.

Vienna police urged people to avoid all open spaces and public transport in the city. Police said trams and buses weren’t stopping and urged social media users not to post videos of the ongoing police operation, so as not to endanger officers.

“There are several injured persons,” police tweeted. “We are on site with all available forces. Please avoid all public squares in the city.”
Who is suspect in Vienna attack
Oskar Deutsch, the head of the Jewish community in Vienna, said the shooting took place in the street where the city’s main synagogue is located but that it wasn’t clear whether the house of worship had been targeted.

The synagogue was already closed at the time of the shooting around 8 p.m. (1900 GMT), Deutsch tweeted.

Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister told The Associated Press that he saw at least one person fire shots at people sitting outside bars in the street below his window.