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Two people were arrested in the city of St. Polten for being related to the bloody attacks in the center of Vienna, according to the APA agency.
The attacker struck shortly after noon in front of a police recruitment center, killing at least four people and wounding several more, according to Austrian Interior Minister Carl Nehammer.
In a televised press conference, Nehamer reiterated his call for citizens to stay home, saying that one of the perpetrators, who was carrying explosives, which turned out to be fake, was a friend of ISIS.
“Yesterday afternoon we were attacked by at least one Islamist terrorist,” he said, adding that the attack was an attempt to weaken and divide Austrian democratic society.
Four civilians killed
The death toll rose to three yesterday, but on Tuesday morning it was announced that another person had succumbed to his injuries.
The perpetrators opened fire at six locations in the center of the Austrian capital, starting off the street where Austria’s main synagogue is located.
Eyewitnesses spoke of shootings against civilians sitting in a bar last night before the COVID-19 curfew was imposed.
The perpetrator was shot and killed by the police, who are still searching for the other perpetrators.
Seven injured in critical condition
Seven of the injured are in critical condition, according to information from the APA agency, which is cited by a representative of the Health Union.
A total of 17 people injured in the attack are being treated in hospitals, mainly for gunshot wounds and cuts, according to her. The ten patients who are slightly injured are in shock, he added.
The perpetrator’s profile
According to the author of the Austrian newspaper Falter, Florian Klenk, the author who fell dead was 20 years old, born and raised in Vienna.
Kurtin S., as he is called, had Albanian roots but his parents were from North Macedonia, Klenk said on Twitter, without giving details about the source of this information.
Police did not believe he was capable of planning an attack in Vienna, Klenk added.
The perpetrator was known from domestic services. information as belonged to a group of 90 Islamists who wanted to travel to Syria, according to the same source.
Also read: Global condemnation of the Vienna attack
Kurtz calls an emergency cabinet meeting
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will chair an emergency cabinet meeting this morning and then address the people after the terrorist attack in central Vienna last night.
Kurtz will meet with his ministers via videoconference at 09:00 (local time; 10:00 Greek time) before delivering the sermon at 10:00 (11:00), reports the APA news agency.
“The professionals are the heavily armed perpetrators”
At least one of the suspects in last night’s attack escaped arrest, according to Austrian authorities, while one died. The victims of the attack are at least three, including a woman who succumbed to her injuries during the night.
ATTENTION: The following video contains harsh images
Exclusive video of the shooting of the first moments of the attack in Vienna, Austria#Vienna @BittonRosen pic.twitter.com/BDDHIcnTBK
– Channel 20 (@ arutz20) November 2, 2020
Late Monday night, Kurtz described the heavily armed perpetrators as “professionals.”
Speaking on the ZiB Spezial television program, the Austrian Chancellor stressed that the attack was undoubtedly a terrorist act, but added that the motives of the perpetrators were unclear. According to the head of government, it is not yet clear whether the situation will have normalized during the day.
“We are currently going through difficult times for our democracy,” Kurtz said last night, thanking the police and first aid officers who “risk their lives for our safety, especially today.”
The federal government has decided that the armed forces will take over the surveillance of buildings in Vienna, a responsibility normally held by the security forces, so that the police can focus on dealing with terrorists.
Source: RES, DPA, Reuters
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