5 killed in attack in Vienna; the attacker had a prior terrorism conviction

Five people were killed, including one assailant, and 17 others were injured in a shooting in the heart of Vienna hours before a coronavirus lockdown began, Austrian authorities said on Tuesday. The dead attacker was a 20-year-old dual Austrian-North Macedonian national who had a prior terrorism conviction.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said that two men and two women died of their wounds in the attack on Monday night. The alleged attacker was shot and killed by the police.

Vienna’s hospital service said seven people were in a life-threatening condition on Tuesday after the attack, the Austrian news agency APA reported. In total, 17 people were being treated in hospitals, with gunshot wounds but also cuts.

Nehammer said initial investigations indicate that the suspect who was killed was sympathetic to the Islamic State group.

“We experienced an attack last night by at least one Islamist terrorist,” Nehammer told reporters. He declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation.

Later, Nehammer told the APA that the dead assailant, who had roots in the Balkan nation of North Macedonia, had a prior conviction under a law punishing membership in terrorist organizations.

Fifteen house searches have been carried out and several people have been arrested, he added. The attacker, he said, “was equipped with a fake explosive vest and an automatic rifle, a pistol and a machete to carry out this heinous attack on innocent citizens.”

Authorities were still trying to determine if more attackers might be on the run. People in Vienna were urged to stay home if possible on Tuesday and the children did not have to go to school. About 1,000 police officers were on duty in Vienna on Tuesday morning.

Among those injured in the attack was a police officer, Nehammer said. The 28-year-old officer was in the hospital but was no longer in a life-threatening condition.

The shooting began shortly after 8 a.m. (1900 GMT) today near Vienna’s main synagogue, as many people enjoyed one last night of restaurants and bars open before a month-long coronavirus closure, which started at midnight local time.

Vienna Police Chief Gerhard Puerstl said the attacker died at 8:09 pm.

Foreign Minister Sebastián Kurz said that “we are victims of a despicable terrorist attack in the federal capital.”

His government ordered three days of official mourning on Tuesday, with flags on public buildings that will be hoisted at half-staff until Thursday, the APA reported. A minute’s silence will be observed at noon on Tuesday.

Unverified images posted on social media showed a gunman walking the streets, apparently shooting people at random, wounding several. It was unclear if the person seen shooting was the same person in each video.

Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister said he saw at least one person shoot people sitting outside in street bars below his window near the city’s main synagogue.

“They were firing at least 100 rounds right outside our building,” Hofmeister said. “All these bars have tables outside. Tonight is the last night before closing.”

Authorities said residents have uploaded 20,000 videos of the attack to police.

The attack prompted swift condemnation and assurances of support from leaders across Europe, including French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country has experienced three Islamist attacks in recent weeks, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Islamist terror is our common enemy,” Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted. “The battle against these murderers and their instigators is our common fight.”

US President Donald Trump tweeted Monday night as he prepared for his last rally before Election Day: “Our prayers go out to the people of Vienna after another vile act of terrorism in Europe.”

“These evil attacks on innocent people must stop,” Trump added. “The United States supports Austria, France and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including radical Islamic terrorists.”

Al-Azhar of Egypt, the most important religious institution in the Sunni Muslim world, condemned the “terrorist attacks” in Vienna. He called on international institutions to “stand together” against terrorism and reject violence and hatred.

The Austrian army has provided 75 soldiers to protect key sites in Vienna, releasing the police to continue the investigation.