Gunshots were fired in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Monday (November 2, 2020), causing multiple casualties. Gunmen opened fire at six locations in the capital, with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz calling the shooting “an abhorrent terrorist attack.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told a news conference early Tuesday morning that at least one Islamist terrorist was involved in the shooting. He continued to urge residents to stay away from public gathering places or use public transportation.
Police also said a gunman was killed by police and a police officer was wounded.
The shooting happened just after 8 p.m. Monday, only hours before authorities imposed a partial shutdown due to an increase in new crown cases.
Prime Minister Kurtz said that the terrorist attackers were professionally prepared and were well armed with automatic municipal weapons.
Interior Minister Nehammer said the six shooting sites were all in the center of Vienna, near a street with a major synagogue.
A leader of the Jewish community said it was unclear whether the synagogue and the office next door were the targets of the attack. He said the offices were closed at the time of the incident.
Some unverified videos on social media showed gunmen shooting random passersby in the street.
Interior Minister Nehammer said the military has been tasked with protecting some key facilities in the capital so that police can focus their efforts on tracking down the gunmen.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has faced several attacks in the recent past, blamed Muslim extremists for the Vienna shootings, saying France felt the shock and pain felt by the Austrian people as a result of tonight’s attack.
This is our Europe,” he said. Our enemies must understand who they are facing. We will not back down.”
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