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Austrian police are searching for at least one suspect after a firearms attack in the capital Vienna killed four people.
Another 17 people were injured, some of them in serious condition, after gunmen opened fire at six different locations in the city center on Monday night.
Authorities said one of the attackers was shot to death by police and another was arrested.
Interior Minister Karl Nihamer described the attacker killed by police as an “Islamic terrorist”.
The minister promised that his country will defend its democracy. But he added that the enemy is violent extremism, not individuals of a particular religion or country.
He said the attacker who was killed by the police was 20 years old, had dual citizenship – Austrian and North Macedonian – and was convicted last year for attempting to travel to Syria.
Those killed in the random shooting were two women and two men. One of the women was reportedly a waitress. The second woman died in hospital overnight from her injuries.
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Bars were attacked in the area known as the Baramouda Triangle in the capital Vienna.
The victims were in the busy city center, in bars and restaurants, near Vienna’s central synagogue, but it was unclear if the synagogue was the target.
At a press conference, Nihamer said that the gunman who was killed by the police was an ISIS sympathizer, and that the police searched his home and confiscated photographic material. Police wrote on Twitter that he was wearing a fake explosive belt.
Earlier, Nihamer said he believed at least one attacker, “heavily armed and dangerous,” was still at large. Officials were quoted as saying there may be up to four attackers. The interior minister urged people to avoid downtown Vienna and asked parents to leave their children at home on Tuesday if they could.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz described the attack as a “nasty terrorist”.
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The police search passersby to search for suspects.
That attack took place hours before Austria imposed new restrictions to deal with rising coronavirus cases. Many people were enjoying drinks and eating outside before the midnight curfew began.
European leaders strongly condemned the shooting. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “deeply shocked by the horrific attacks.”
What do we know about the attack?
Police said the accident began around 8:00 pm (local time) near the “Sitenstengasse” synagogue when a gunman shot people outside cafes and restaurants.
Special forces personnel quickly arrived at the scene. A police officer was shot and seriously injured before “killing” the perpetrator, who was armed with a machine gun, a pistol and a machete, at 8:09 p.m. on Monday, according to the commander of the operation.
The leader of the Jewish community, Oskar Deutsch, said the temple was closed when the attack began.
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The police reinforced security at the Interior Ministry building.
Images circulating on social media showed scenes of chaos as people ran through the streets and gunshots were heard in the background.
Witness Chris Chow was at a nearby restaurant when the shooting began.
He told the BBC: “We heard sounds that sounded like firecrackers. We heard between 20 and 30 sounds and we thought he was actually shooting. We saw ambulances … lined up. There were victims, sadly we also saw a body on the street next to us “.
A major counterterrorism operation was launched and the police installed barricades around the city center. The public was asked to stay away from the area and not use public transportation.
And police in the neighboring Czech Republic said they are conducting random checks on the Austrian border until they arrest the gunman if he had fled in that direction.
What are the reactions?
“We are going through difficult hours in our republic,” the Austrian chancellor said in a tweet on Twitter.
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The guests at the opera left the building under police supervision.
“Our police will act decisively with the perpetrators of this heinous terrorist attack.”
“We will not be intimidated by terrorism,” he added.
Austria was until now immune to the type of attacks that affected other European countries. Leaders from across the region were quick to condemn the shooting, and French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe should not “give in” to the attacks.
“We, the French people, share the shock and sadness of the Austrian people after tonight’s attack in the heart of their capital Vienna. This is our country, and our enemies must know who they are dealing with,” he added.
Three people were killed in a knife attack on a church in the French city of Nice last week, in what Macron described as an “Islamic terrorist attack.”
The British Prime Minister said: “The feelings of the country are with the people of Austria; we are united with you in the face of terrorism.” “We are ready to provide support in any way possible,” said Interior Minister Priti Patel.
US President Donald Trump, while campaigning before the start of Tuesday’s elections, described the attack as “another violent act of terrorism in Europe.”
“These vicious attacks on innocent people must stop. The United States supports Austria, France and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists,” he said on Twitter.
His Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, condemned the “horrible terrorist attack” and added: “We must all unite in the face of hatred and violence.”
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, described this as a cowardly act that violates life and human values.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte described the shooting as an “heinous act” and expressed his “solidarity” with Austria.
