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At least two people were killed – a civilian and the attacker – and a fortnight were injured in a series of attacks with firearms committed today at six points in the center of Vienna, as confirmed by the health services of the capital and the Police.
“I’m glad our cops have already eliminated one of the perpetrators. We will never be intimidated by terrorism and we will fight against those attacks with all means, “said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who described them as “disgusting terrorist attacks”.
The attack, the first in Vienna in 35 years, began with a shooting in a central street where the main synagogue in Vienna is located, which was closed at the time, and very close to a popular bar area.
“We can’t say anything about the motive yet. We can’t rule out an anti-Semitic motive, because of where it started.”said the chief executive, without giving further details.
From there, the aggressors moved through the city center, machine-gunning those who were occupying the terraces of the premises.
One person died and fifteen were shot, seven of them seriously, at six different points in the center where the attacks took place.
One of the hospitalized women later died due to the severity of her injuries.
The former tennis player and current Davis Cup captain, Nicolás Massú, confirmed that he was in the center of the city, adding that “they have us inside a restaurant waiting until we see when we can leave here.”
Hello people, I am in the Center of Vienna very close to the attack and they have us inside a Restaurant waiting until we see when we can leave here … thanks for your messages 🙏
– Nicolas Massu (@massunico) November 2, 2020
Witnesses to the attacks
“We were eating and drinking, when we heard the shots and at first we thought they were fireworks, but then they were heard closer and then people reacted with panic“, he told EFE Petra, a Brazilian who was in a local area when the attack began.
Another witness, Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister, noted that heard “a hundred shots” in the first moments of the attack.
“At least one attacker shot at people who were sitting in front of bars and restaurants. People ran out in panic and ran inside but the attacker followed them and fired inside as well,” he said.
Hundreds of people took refuge in bars and restaurants, very crowded today because tomorrow a new confinement begins to fight the spread of the virus.
In the Vienna Opera or in concert halls such as the Konzerthaus or the Musikverein, very close to the scene, thousands of people who attended the last functions before the closing of a month imposed by the Covid-19, had to stay locked up for hours until they were allowed to leave under police escort.
Terrorist shot down
In an exchange of gunfire with the Police, one of the assailants was killed, while an officer was seriously injured.
The authorities have deployed a huge security device to locate at least one terrorist who fled, with dozens of agents of the special forces and anti-terrorist specialists participating in the search efforts, which also includes the control of the borders of Austria.
The Government considers that the dangerous situation has not passed, to the point of asking citizens not to leave their homes if it is not necessary, and even issuing a general apology so that the children can miss school tomorrow.
Today’s attack is the first in Vienna in 35 years, since 1985, when the Palestinian group Abu Nidal killed three people and wounded 39 at the city’s airport.
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