[ad_1]
VIENNA: Attacks in central Vienna, in which gunmen killed at least three people and wounded several more, were carried out by at least one Islamic State sympathizer, the Islamic State minister said on Tuesday (November 2). Austrian interior, Karl Nehammer.
In an early morning televised press conference, Nehammer repeated calls for the public to stay home.
The attacker, wearing an explosive belt that turned out to be a fake, was shot and killed by police.
A thousand security personnel have been deployed to pursue the other attackers, while neighboring countries have offered help, the minister said.
READ: Czechs initiate border controls after Vienna attack: Police
READ: Support comes to Austria after terrorist attack
“We experienced an attack last night from at least one Islamist terrorist,” Nehammer said, adding that the attack was an attempt to weaken or divide Austria’s democratic society.
“Austria for more than 75 years has been a strong democracy, a mature democracy, a country whose identity is marked by basic values and rights, with freedom of expression, the rule of law, but also tolerance in human coexistence,” he said.
“Yesterday’s attack is an attack on these values.”
Gunmen attacked six locations in central Vienna on Monday night, starting outside the main synagogue. Witnesses described the men firing into the crowds in bars with automatic rifles as many people took advantage of the last night before a nationwide curfew was introduced due to COVID-19.
Shattered glass at a parking lot entrance at the scene of a shooting in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 3, 2020 (Photo: AP / Ronald Zak)
Police confirmed Tuesday that three civilians were killed in the attacks, two men and one woman, with 15 others injured, including a police officer.
Police sealed off much of Vienna’s historic center overnight, urging the public to take refuge in the scene. Many sought refuge in bars and hotels, while public transport throughout the old town was closed and the city was searched by police.
LEE: Armed men kill three in a ‘terrorist attack’ in Vienna, the persecution began
Nehammer said the home of the known assailant was searched and video footage was seized. The Vienna police chief declined to provide further details on the identity of the attacker, citing a possible danger from the investigation.
Until now, Austria’s capital has been spared the kind of deadly militant attacks that have plagued Paris, London, Berlin, and Brussels, among others, in recent years.
Oskar Deutsch, the head of Vienna’s Jewish community, which has offices adjoining the synagogue on a narrow cobbled street dotted with bars, said on Twitter that it was unclear if the temple or offices were targeted, but that they were closed at that time. moment.
Three investigators on the scene after a shooting in the Austrian capital Vienna on November 3, 2020 (Photo: AP / Ronald Zak)
Videos of an armed man running down a cobbled street, shooting and screaming, circulated on social media.
One showed a man shooting a person outside what appeared to be a bar on the street where the synagogue was located.
Condolences came from around the world, and senior officials from the European Union, France, Norway, Greece and the United States expressed shock at the attacks.
US President Donald Trump said in a tweet that “our prayers are with the people of Vienna after another vile act of terrorism in Europe.”
“These evil attacks on innocent people must stop. The United States supports Austria, France and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including radical Islamic terrorists.”
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden condemned what he called a “terrible terrorist attack” and added: “We must all stand together against hate and violence.”
