Death toll raised to four – VG

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” wrote Interior Minister Karl Nehammer on Twitter after it was confirmed that a fourth person had died after the terrorist attack in Vienna on Monday night.

The attack began in the 1920s on the Seitenstettengasse in the center of the Austrian capital, where several suspects armed with rifles began firing around it.

A total of three people, two men and a woman, were killed in the attack, authorities said Tuesday morning. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer later confirmed to the APA news agency that another person, a woman in her 40s to 50s, had died in hospital.

At least 15 people were also seriously injured, according to police, including one of their own, who is now out of danger. According to Der Standard, the number has been adjusted up to 17 injured on Tuesday morning.

According to the AP news agency, the shooting began in a lively area where people enjoyed a last night in the open air before a new crown lock went into effect at midnight.

The attack is said to have started near this area at Seitenstettengasse. Police believe there are several different locations for the shooting and are now viewing over 20,000 videos that have been sent to them:

Interior Minister Nehammer calls it an attack on Austrian democracy.

– We have been a strong and growing democracy for 75 years. Yesterday’s attack is an attack on our values ​​and a totally inappropriate attempt to weaken our democratic society, he writes.

Perpetrator arrested: – Sympathized with IS

One of the alleged perpetrators was shot and killed by police on Monday night.

The interior minister described him as an Islamic terrorist, saying that he was equipped with a belt of explosives, but this was false. according to the police.

– The killer was an IS sympathizer, the minister said at a press conference Tuesday morning, adding that the police have conducted several searches of the suspect’s home.

At least one of the perpetrators is still at large, and the Interior Minister tells the ORF-TV channel that he is “heavily armed and dangerous.” writes Reuters.

Please stay inside

Sebastian Kurz, the country’s prime minister, also refers to the shooting episodes as a terrorist attack.

– I want to thank all the emergency services who risk their lives, especially today, for our safety. The police will act clearly towards the perpetrators behind this cruel terrorist attack, write on Twitter.

On ZiB Spezial channel, the prime minister says the attackers were “very professional” in the way they were prepared, and that they had various weapons.

Police were quick to ask people to stay indoors after the first reports of shootings, and also asked people to avoid sharing videos and photos of what is happening on social media.

During the night of Monday, armed police asked pedestrians and cyclists to leave the city center, NTB writes. Cars were also asked to turn around. Helicopters were used and officials yelled at people to get off the streets and into buildings.

– Stay indoors and away from public places, the police write on Twitter at 23.20.

Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz claims that the country’s army is deployed to help stand guard to relieve the police.

Also on Tuesday, the people of Vienna were asked to stay home. Nor will there be compulsory schooling, so that parents can have their children at home.

He’s in Vienna: – It’s quite uncomfortable

Kenan Buhic (22) from Stavanger says he was heading to Stephansplatz, which is a ten-minute walk from Schwedenplatz, when he heard over the subway’s speaker system that several lines were closed.

He got out and continued toward the plaza on foot. He turned when he received a link from VG, heard the sirens and saw people start to walk away.

Buhic, who often studies in Germany, says he and a friend are now staying in a bar a mile from Stephansplatz.

– It’s going well, but it’s quite uncomfortable. It’s very strange, says Buhic.

Erna Solberg: – We must unite against hatred and violence.

The attack comes shortly after the attack on a church in Nice, France. French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron writes on Twitter that the French share the shock and grief of the Austrians.

– After France, a peaceful country has been attacked. This is our Europe. We will not give up, write.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg offers the following condolences on Twitter:

– Cruel attacks in Vienna. My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the people of Austria. We must unite against hatred and violence.

It is unclear if the synagogue was the target

There is a Jewish community nearby where at least one of the shootings took place. It is unclear if this building was the target.

According to the leader of the Israeli religious community in Austria, Oskar Deutsch, the synagogue and the Seitenstettengasse offices were closed when the shooting began.

Although it is not clear that the ongoing attack in Vienna is targeting the city’s synagogue, Danish police have tightened security around the synagogues in Copenhagen. Several surrounding streets are blocked.

“We have taken some preventive security measures and increased preparedness for emergencies,” Deputy Police Inspector Rasmus Agerskov Schultz tells Danish news agency Ritzau.

Oslo police tell NTB that they are following the attack in Vienna continuously.

– The Oslo synagogue is an object with which the police already have a good dialogue in everyday life. We continually assess the situation and have increased our vigilance toward vulnerable objects, says Operations Manager Line Skott.