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Austrian police announced on Tuesday that a known Islamic extremist who had spent time in prison had carried out a shooting in Vienna. Authorities are investigating the motive for the deadly attack, which left at least four people dead and more than 20 injured.
Police arrested 14 people who had ties to the Vienna gunman, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said.
“This shows the resolute and relentless approach of our police and judicial authorities in the fight against terrorism in our country,” Nehammer told the Austrian news agency APA.
It was not immediately clear what the 14 people are suspected of. Under Austrian law, pre-trial detention is permitted if there is a risk that suspects may flee, suppress evidence or commit further crimes.
Switzerland joins the chase
Hundreds of police have been deployed to Vienna to search for suspects.
In coordination with Austrian authorities, Swiss police arrested an 18-year-old Swiss and a 24-year-old Swiss in the city of Winterthur on Tuesday in connection with the shooting in Vienna.
The North Macedonian Interior Ministry said in a statement that the three people involved in the firearms attacks have dual Austrian and North Macedonian citizenship. All three were born in Austria, the ministry added, naming all three by their initials alone.
The shootings came as many people were out and about enjoying the last night before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown went into effect.
An alleged attacker, who was armed with an assault rifle and wearing a fake suicide vest, was shot and killed by police.
Nehammer told a news conference Tuesday morning that investigations indicated the man was a sympathizer of the extremist group “Islamic State.” He added that more perpetrators may be fleeing and urged citizens to stay home if possible.
Two men and two women have been confirmed dead.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said a German national was among the dead victims.
“We have received sad confirmation that a German citizen was among the victims of the Vienna attack,” Maas said in Berlin.
Health authorities cited by Austria’s APA news agency also said that seven victims of the attack were in critical and life-threatening condition in hospital.
What we know so far
- The shots erupted outside Vienna’s main synagogue around 8 pm local time (1900 GMT / UTC) on Monday.
- Authorities said there were shootings at six different locations in the city center.
- Witnesses described men firing dozens of shots into crowds in bars and restaurants with automatic rifles.
- It is unclear how many attackers were involved.
- At least 1,000 officers have been deployed in search of possible suspects.
- Neighboring countries, including Germany and the Czech Republic, have stepped up border controls
What we know about the gunmen
- Authorities said an attacker shot to death by police appeared to have an Islamist motive
- The deceased suspect was 20 years old and had dual citizenship in Austria and North Macedonia.
- Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said the man was convicted in April 2019 because he had tried to travel to Syria to join the extremist group “Islamic State”.
- After that conviction, the perpetrator was sentenced to 22 months in prison, but was released on early parole in December.
- He had also allegedly posted photos of himself on Instagram with weapons believed to have used in the attack.
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Police used explosives to make their way into the 20-year-old’s apartment
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They have also conducted raids on at least 18 other properties and made at least 14 arrests.
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Nehammer said the suspect “managed to fool the justice system de-radicalization program, fool the people and get an early release through this.”
The shootings broke out in six different locations around Vienna’s city center on Monday night.
Kurz from Austria calls for unity
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz described the shootings as a “repulsive terrorist attack” and urged the country to unite after the killings.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, he promised that Austria will defend its democracy, its fundamental rights and its liberal way of life.
“We will never allow this hatred to gain ground,” Kurz said in a televised speech.
“We must be aware that this is not a conflict between Christians and Muslims or between Austrians and migrants,” he added. “Our enemy, Islamist terrorism, not only wants to cause death and pain, it wants to divide our society.”
Kurz told his Austrian compatriots: “We will never allow this hatred to gain ground.”
Three days of mourning
The Austrian government has declared three days of national mourning and ordered the flags of public buildings to fly at half-mast until Thursday. Across Vienna, the bells rang at noon on Tuesday as the country marked a minute of silence for the victims.
“There is a gloomy mood, pain and sadness at the meaninglessness of this act,” said DW correspondent Steve Chaid.
“Vienna is one of the great cultural capitals of the world, and for someone who wants to represent a group like ISIS, which is a cultural impasse, to think that carrying out an attack like that in a large cultural center is going to achieve any kind of lasting statement … just creates sadness and pain. “
How have the leaders reacted?
World leaders have expressed shock and offered condolences after the attack. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her solidarity with Austria and said: “Islamist terrorism is our common enemy.”
French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the first foreign leaders to react on Monday night. France has been dealing with a series of deadly terror attacks in recent weeks, including the beheading of a school teacher in a Paris suburb and a knife attack on a church in Nice.
“We must let our enemies know what they are up against. We will not give up,” he said.
mvb, jf, nm / rs (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)
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