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The Schwedenplatz in Vienna and the bank of the Danube Canal is a popular nightlife area, where many young people gathered that night. Now the helicopters are circling, the police sirens blasting into the night.
Police officers secure the area after an exchange of gunfire in central Vienna. (November 2, 2020)
Photo: Christian Bruna (Keystone)
This November 2 is an unusual soft night, the last night before exit restrictions in Austria. The Schwedenplatz in Vienna and the bank of the Danube Canal is a popular nightlife area, where many young people gathered that night. But around 8pm, all of a sudden, shots were fired in the area. The videos show that passersby are first confused and then panic spreads. It quickly turns out: there is an attack and it is taking place in Seitenstettengasse, where the largest synagogue in Vienna is located.
In a very short time, the northern part of the city center of Vienna is completely cordoned off, the police raiding the nearby restaurants with weapons in hand, searching everything. Then the guests can no longer be on the street, and neither can the residents of the surrounding houses. Anyone still on the street is searched at gunpoint and then has to leave quickly.
Rumors are spreading everywhere in the pub and on the street: a man with an explosive belt is said to be still on the road. There is a hostage-taking on Mariahilferstrasse, a large shopping street outside the center. The police ask all residents of the city to stay at home or, if they are in a pub, not to leave it. After 10 pm, the police confirm one death, 15 injured, seven of them seriously injured and one murderer dead. However, significantly more victims are assumed. The mission is still running at this time. The police are extremely nervous, even when they ask for a bottle of water in a restaurant, they do it with weapons in hand.
The attack came from Seitenstettengasse. The guests who were sitting in the guest gardens were shot at random.
The Viennese police also asked via Twitter that no videos or reports about the operation be published. At this time, however, videos were already circulating that apparently came from a surveillance camera at the synagogue. It shows two white-clad men with rifles shooting at a man, possibly a synagogue security guard. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer speaks of a “terrorist attack”: there are a total of six crime scenes.
A little later he added in ORF: “We continue in the fight against suspected terrorists. We take on several perpetrators, heavily armed and dangerous. “
Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig said: “The attack came from Seitenstettengasse. The guests who were sitting in the garden were shot at random. ”
