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“The attack is still ongoing, stay home”
| Reading time: 3 minutes
“We see an attempted complex attack here.”
A terrorist attack shakes Vienna. Terrorism expert Malte Roschinki ranks the first findings. The situation reminds him of the series of bombings in Paris almost exactly 5 years ago.
By Monday night, restaurants in the area around Seitenstettengasse had filled up, once before closing. But then: gunshots, panic, and hours of uncertainty about what was going on.
reThe Seitenstettengasse is a small paved descent from the center to the Danube quay. The synagogue, a few steps beyond the oldest church in the city, pubs, bars, shops, further down by the river a spacious park. The bars in this corner of Vienna were also packed on Monday, once before closing, which has been in effect since midnight. But then: gunshots, panic, and hours of uncertainty about what was going on.
According to eyewitnesses, the attackers opened fire for the first time with automatic weapons in front of the synagogue in central Vienna. Armed men are said to have opened fire elsewhere as well. In total, however, there should have been shootings in six locations.
Initially, there were two deaths, including an alleged perpetrator, and 15 wounded. But the situation was still confusing after midnight.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer spoke of several injuries and several deaths at a late-night press conference. The attackers were armed with assault rifles. A belt of explosives was found on an attacker with gunfire. Several people are believed to have been detained, according to unconfirmed reports.
What Nehammer also announced: At least one perpetrator was still on the run in the wee hours of the morning. The Viennese were asked not to leave their apartments and avoid the city center. On Tuesday he said goodbye to the school in Vienna.
Public life in Vienna came to a standstill. The center and several streets of the larger area of the city center were cordoned off. People stayed in bars for hours.
At an unspecified location in the city center, rescue teams also set up a meeting point for the injured.
The city center of Vienna was cordoned off in a large area. Motorists, cyclists and passersby were asked to quickly leave the city center.
Mariahilfer Strasse, a shopping street that begins on the opposite edge of the center, seen from the synagogue, was also blocked. Passersby were also asked to leave the street quickly. Barricades were closed in cafes and bars.
That night, authorities said the attack was still continuing.
The attackers were likely armed with military equipment. Savage gunfire from automatic weapons could be heard on videos from the city center, not far from the synagogue. The security forces were already there. Apparently at least one attacker had run down the pier in the direction of Schwedenplatz. There, a few hundred meters from the synagogue, there is a metro station, where strong police forces also gathered.
Witness: “I saw an attacker enter bars and restaurants”
There was a terrorist attack in the center of Vienna. Several people are said to have been killed and injured. An eyewitness reports how he experienced the attacks.
In any case, the police moved strong police units to the city center. Inactive officials were also asked to mobilize. The Red Cross moved ten ambulances from the surrounding area to Vienna.
Regular patrol duty had already been massively and visibly reinforced during the day. The immediate reason: The closure that will apply from midnight and the curfew that will take effect. Last but not least, a series of attacks that were very unusual in Vienna was the reason for the increased security presence.
On the Thursday of the previous week alone, around 50 young people stormed a church outside Vienna while shouting Allahu-akbar. For two weeks there should have been repeated harassment around the church. And it was only on Saturday that a man chanted Islamist slogans at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the center of the city.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz discussed the situation with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, as well as with the heads of all parliamentary parties and Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig in the late evening.
