Vienna police trying to find exact details

[Anthea]

Several people injured
several believed dead

Shooting in central Vienna Karl Nehammer described the incident as a terror attack and said that one attacker had died in the Austrian capital

Another attacker was "on the run", he said. A large-scale security operation is under way.

The incident took place near the central Schwedenplatz square.

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.

Mr Nehammer said some people were thought to have been killed and the several seriously injured, including a police officer.

The shooting reportedly took place 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.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54786952

[Anthea]

'Seven dead' and several injured in Austrian terror rampage: Police launch huge manhunt for 'multiple suspects' after gunman rampages through streets near synagogue and 'another blows himself up' with claims HOSTAGES have been taken in restaurant

Unconfirmed

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At least one person has been killed 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.

A number of people, including passers-by, have been taken to hospital with several reported to be seriously injured, Austrian broadcaster ORF reports.

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 ORF.

It will be some time before we know the truth

[Anthea]

POLIZEI WIEN
@LPDWien
·
7m
Still active: Stay at home! If you're on the Streets, take shelter! Keep away from public places, don't use public Transportation! #0211w

OLIZEI WIEN
@LPDWien
·
58m
CONFIRMED at the moment:
*08:00 pm: several shots fired, beginning at Seitenstettengasse
*several suspects armed with rifles
*six different shooting locations
* one deceaced person, several injured (1 officer included)
*1 suspect shot and killed by police officers #0211w

[Anthea]

AS we have all seen there will be a lot of false information surrounding this story

Suggest you follow the local police twitter account

https://twitter.com/LPDWien

We will try to find more details as the police report will only be a basic report

But the police report will be FACTUAL

https://twitter.com/LPDWien

[Anthea]

Due to the current situation, there will be no compulsory schooling tomorrow in Vienna. Children can therefore stay at home apologetically. Schools are, of course, open to those who are unable to do so. Stay safe and, above all, healthy!

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Vienna terrorist attack: several dead after shooting near synagogue in Austria – live updates
Philip Oltermann

01:57

A reminder that you can get in touch with me directly via email on helen.sullivan@theguardian.com or Twitter @helenrsullivan.

A sincere thank you to those who have written to us already. We hope to have more updates from people who are currently in Vienna throughout the night.

Helen Sullivan (@helenrsullivan)

I am reporting on the Vienna terrorist attacks live @guardian. Follow the latest below.

If you are in Vienna and would like to speak to me, my DMs are open and my email address is in the blog. https://t.co/SB83m25W2V
November 3, 2020

11m ago 01:47

Vienna Mayor: 15 hospitalised, seven with serious injuries

Vienna Mayor Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig says that 15 people have been hospitalised, seven with serious injuries. As far as we understand, two civilians have died in the attacks.

In case you are just joining us: Police said that several shots were fired shortly after 8pm on Monday. (1900 GMT) on a lively street in the city centre in Vienna, and that there were six shooting locations. Unverified footage posted on social media showed gunmen walking through the streets, apparently shooting at people at random, wounding several people.

The attack occurred on the last night before a new coronavirus lockdown was due to come into force in the city.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told public broadcaster ORF that the army had been asked to guard key locations in the city to allow police to pursue the gunmen.

Kurz praised police for killing one of the attackers and vowed: “We will not never allow ourselves to be intimidated by terrorism and will fight these attacks with all means.”

19m ago 01:39

The terror attacks in Vienna have been widely condemned by international leaders. Here is what some of them have had to say:

24m ago 01:34

In recent years, Austria has been spared the sort of large-scale attacks seen in Paris, Berlin and London.

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, Reuters reports. The leader was unhurt.

28m ago 01:30

We have some more information from Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig about the second victim.

Ludwig told the broadcaster ORF that a woman wounded in an attack in central Vienna on Monday night has died of her injuries.

Her death brings the civilian toll to two. It is understood that at least one attacker has also died.

30m ago 01:28

A reader named Lea R has written to us from Vienna’s second district, Leopoldstadt.

“I’m living in Karmeliterviertel, one of the largest Jewish communities (I myself am not Jewish). I am 22 and normally I’m every evening at Schwedenplatz/ Bermudadreieck and Donaukanal, being in one of the many Bars there ,” she writes.

“The Situation right now is really scary, my phone is ringing all the time because everyone is so worried. It’s heartbreaking to see my beloved hometown [like this].”

She says that the law firm where she works has told employees to work from home tomorrow. Her ex-boyfriend works for WEGA, the Austrian special forces (Wiener Einsatzgruppe Alarmabteilung) and, she says, “Currently I am worrying a lot about his well-being, as he is actively looking for the terrorists.”

A friend of hers is spending the night sleeping in her office. There is the “constant noise” of helicopters overhead, says Lea.

She signs off:

Greetings from Vienna, an undestructable city. We will rise stronger than ever! There is no place here for terrorism, neither left, right or from a religious point of view. There is a reason why everyone is saying “Wien ist anders [Vienna is different, a common slogan in the city]”.

42m ago 01:16
Second civilian has died

The Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, has announced that a second civilian has died in the attacks tonight, Reuters reports.

1h ago 01:01

The head of the United Nations, António Guterres, has voiced expressed the UN’s “solidarity with the people & government of Austria.”

António Guterres (@antonioguterres)

I’m following with grave concern the violent attacks of terror in Vienna, one of our UN HQ.

I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and reaffirm the @UN's solidarity with the people & Government of Austria. https://t.co/WQfbKhsMg6
November 3, 2020

In a statement posted online his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, wrote:

The Secretary-General is following with utmost concern the still evolving situation in Vienna’s city centre where violent attacks in several places have been reported today, with at least one bystander killed and several others wounded, including members of the security forces. He extends his deep condolences to the family of the victim and wishes those injured a speedy recovery.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns these attacks and reaffirms the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and the Government of Austria.

1h ago 00:55

The Vienna police have again urged people to stay at home, confirming that the incident is “still active” in a post retweeted from two hours ago.

POLIZEI WIEN (@LPDWien)

Still active: Stay at home! If you're on the Streets, take shelter! Keep away from public places, don't use public Transportation! #0211w
November 2, 2020

1h ago 00:51

The Guardian understands that “several” people have died in the attacks tonight – this is what was said in the police press conference a short while ago by the interior minister, Karl Nehammer.

Authorities have not yet confirmed an exact number, but they have confirmed that among the casualties are one civilian and one attacker.
A police officer stands guard in front of the Interior Ministry as a news conference takes place after exchanges of gunfire in Vienna.
A police officer stands guard in front of the Interior Ministry as a news conference takes place after exchanges of gunfire in Vienna. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Updated at 12.58am GMT

1h ago 00:43

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has sent his condolences, calling the attack “horrific and heartbreaking.”

“We condemn in the strongest terms possible this act of terrorism,” he wrote on Twitter.

Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)

Today’s shooting in Vienna is horrific and heartbreaking. We condemn in the strongest terms possible this act of terrorism. Our thoughts are with the people of Austria and everyone affected by this deplorable act.
November 3, 2020

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... ve-updates

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Explosive belt worn by attacker being defused

The explosive belt we mentioned earlier – reported to have been worn by an attacker who has since been shot – is currently being defused by the demining service, the Austrian broadcaster ORF reports:

According to the information provided by the crisis team to the ORF, the suspected perpetrator shot was wearing an explosives belt. This is currently being defused by the demining service. He is also said to have carried a lot of ammunition with him.

[Anthea]

POLIZEI WIEN
@LPDWien
·
3am
We'll keep up public safety with all forces available. Meanwhile our investigations regarding the assault will go on highest level. We'll keep you posted on confirmed news here on Twitter. #0211w

[Anthea]

As of 06:30 am, this is what police can confirm towards the assault in Vienna's inner city district:

Please click to enlarge:


Sebastian Kurz @sebastiankurz
Chancellor of Austria

We must always be aware that this is not a dispute between Christians and Muslims, or between Austrians and migrants. This is a struggle between the many people who believe in peace and those few who want war

SwedishPM @SwedishPM

I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in Vienna tonight, one of them close to a synagogue. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We must all stand united against attacks on our open society.

[Anthea]

Arrests after Vienna attack

Police have carried out a series of raids and made 14 arrests in the hours since a gunman murdered four people in the heart of Vienna

The man blamed for carrying out the attack was a 20-year-old "Islamist terrorist" who was released early from jail in December 2019.

Security has been tight in the Austrian capital as police launched a manhunt for further attackers.

But authorities believe the gunman shot dead by police may have acted alone.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer has not ruled out the possibility of a second attacker. Some witnesses spoke of seeing more than one gunman and police are still assessing some 20,000 mobile phone videos of what happened.

"Over 50% have already been watched but the assessment is not over. At the same time the videos already evaluated do not indicate that there was a second perpetrator," the minister told reporters.

The attacks began at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday night, opposite the main synagogue in a pedestrian alley called Seitenstettengasse, and continued until the gunman was shot dead at 20:09.

Tuesday afternoon as authorities suggested the attacker may have acted alone

Police identified a total of six crime scenes in the area, as witnesses described seeing attackers opening fire on people outside bars and then chasing them inside.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the four who died were an elderly woman, an elderly man, a young male passer-by and a waitress. Another 22 people were wounded.

It was clearly an attack driven by "hatred of our way of life, our democracy", the chancellor said.

It also emerged that a police officer who was shot and wounded by the gunman was taken to safety by two men of Turkish descent.

"I took his legs, he took his shoulders, the police were there too of course and helped, and we quickly got him to the ambulance," Mikail Özen, a personal trainer and mixed martial arts fighter, told journalists.

The interior minister said 14 people linked to the gunman had been detained. Most of the arrests were close to where he lived but two suspects were also arrested in St Pölten, to the west of Vienna.

What we know about the gunman:

Earlier, Mr Nehammer described the dead gunman as an "Islamist terrorist", who had been jailed for 22 months in April 2019 for trying to travel to Syria to join Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists.

The 20-year-old had been released early last December under more lenient terms for young adults.

Originally from North Macedonia, he had both Austrian and North Macedonian citizenship.

Police have searched his home and seized video material. As well as being heavily armed, he was wearing a fake explosive belt, police said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54798679

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Vienna attack: arrests made

Austrian police have made several arrests at addresses linked to an Islamic State sympathiser who killed at least four people in a terrorist shooting and stabbing attack in Vienna on Monday night

Two men and two women died of their injuries after the attack in the centre of the Austrian capital, which took place hours before a coronavirus lockdown started.

The 20-year-old suspect, Kujtim Fejzulai, who was shot dead by police nine minutes into the attack, was convicted last year for membership of ISIS after being arrested on his way to Syria to join the group, officials said. Fejzulai, who was born in Vienna and held joint Austrian and North Macedonian citizenship, was released early from a 22-month prison sentence in December.

Late on Tuesday ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack without providing evidence, in a statement by its Amaq News Agency posted on Telegram.

The victims were “an elderly man, an elderly woman, a young male passerby and a waitress”, according to Austria’s chancellor, Sebastian Kurz. He praised a police officer shot in the attack and who is in a critical but stable condition as brave.

Kurz said the entire country had been the target of the attack. He called the murders “cold-blooded” and pledged that everything would be done to pursue those behind them.

“The enemy, the Islamist terror, wants to split our society, but we will give no space to this hatred,” he said. “Our enemies are not the members of a religious community, these are terrorists. This is not a fight between Christians and Muslims, or Austrians and migrants, but a fight between civilisation and barbarity.”

Austria’s president, Alexander Van der Bellen, said the nation’s tears were flowing for the victims and their relatives. He said the attack had targeted “life in a liberal democracy which terrorists clearly hate deeply”.

Twenty-two people were injured with gunshot and knife wounds, of whom three were in a critical condition.

The attacker had been armed with an automatic rifle, a hand gun and a machete, and had been wearing a fake suicide vest. He had posted a photograph of himself with the weapons on his Instagram account before the attack, according to the interior minister, Karl Nehammer.

Fourteen people associated with the assailant have been detained for questioning in searches on 18 properties in and near Vienna. Following conflicting reports overnight, Nehammer said on Tuesday afternoon that evidence gathered so far showed no indication that there was a second assailant.

The shooting began at 8pm on Monday evening near Vienna’s main synagogue, as many people were enjoying a last night of open restaurants and bars before a month-long coronavirus lockdown, which started at midnight.

Police were trawling through more than 20,000 videos filmed by members of the public to determine the exact course of events. They urged people to resist posting video footage on social media.

Hundreds of people were still taking refuge in cafes, bars and Austria’s national theatre early Tuesday morning. The city centre remained closed off, with 1,000 police officers patrolling the streets. Concertgoers were shown being escorted from the opera house under police protection on Monday night.

Several hotels reportedly gave free accommodation to both Vienna residents and tourists who were stranded in the city.

People in Vienna were urged to stay at home on Tuesday. Schools outside the city centre were open, but parents were urged to keep their children at home if possible. Border checks have been increased.

The attack began just hours before Austria introduced new coronavirus restrictions at midnight on Monday, including an 8pm to 6am curfew. Bars and restaurants in the network of narrow streets known to locals as the “Bermuda triangle” were packed.

A witness said a gunman had started to fire at random at groups of people sitting at tables. “They were shooting at least 100 rounds just outside our building,” Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister said. He told reporters that from his window above Vienna’s main synagogue, he saw at least one person shooting at people sitting outside in the street.

“All these bars have tables outside. This evening is the last evening before the lockdown,” he said. “As of midnight, all bars and restaurants will be closed in Austria for the next month, and a lot of people probably wanted to use that evening to be able to go out.”

Footage purportedly showing the attack and shared by European counter-terrorism agencies showed a man carrying a rifle and wearing a white shirt and beige trousers firing shots toward a building. A male voice can be heard swearing at the attacker from one of the buildings.

Initial reports had suggested that the nearby Stadttempel synagogue could have been the target of the attack, but Oskar Deutsch, the president of the Jewish Community Vienna, said the synagogue on Seitenstettengasse and the office building at the same address were already closed at the time of the attack. It was unclear if it had been a target, he said.

The Israelitische Kultusgemeinde, the organisation that represents Austria’s Jewish community, said it had closed all its synagogues and facilities including schools, restaurants and cultural centres nationwide. Security has been stepped up at Jewish establishments across the country. The IKG’s counselling service had been inundated with requests for help from distressed community members, Erich Nuler, the organisation’s crisis committee spokesman said.

• This article was amended on 4 November 2020 to clarify that the suspect, Kujtim Fejzulai, was Austria-born and held both Austrian and North Macedonian citizenship.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... -left-dead