Terrorist Attacks In Vienna: Several Dead After Multiple Shootings

Vienna terrorist attack: several dead after shooting near synagogue in Austria – live updates

Austrian police say at least one civilian and one suspect are dead and one gunman is on the run after shootings across six locations

• Full report: terror attack hits on night before lockdown
• What we know so far about the Vienna shooting

2m ago19:31

Explosive belt worn by attacker being defused by police

The explosive belt we mentioned earlier – reported to have been worn by an attacker who has since been shot – is currently being defused by police, the Australian broadcaster ORF reports: 

According to the information provided by the crisis team to the ORF, the suspected perpetrator shot was wearing an explosives belt. This is currently being defused by the demining service. He is also said to have carried a lot of ammunition with him.

Initial reports had suggested that the nearby Stadttempel synagogue could have been the target of the attack.

But Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community Vienna, said the synagogue on Seitenstettengasse and the office building at the same address were already closed at the time of the attack, and it was “unclear” if it was one of the targets of the attack.

Deutsch told the Kurier newspaper that no members of Vienna’s Jewish community were among those injured in the attack.

Citing an interview with a rabbi living directly above the synagogue, Kurier reported an attacker had taken random shots at people sitting outside cafes and bars on Judengasse and Seitenstettengasse in central Vienna. “He did not aim at the Stadttempel [synagogue],” the witness said.

The synagogue was the target of a terror attack almost four decades ago. On 29 August 1981, two members of the Palestinian group Fatah – The Revolutionary Council, also known as ANO – tried to storm the synagogue building but were stopped by security forces. Two people were killed and 21 others injured in the attack:

Austrian interior minister Karl Nehammer has said that “several” people have died in the attack. 

He has also said: 

• At least one attacker still on the run
• Children not required to go to school on Tuesday
• He has repeated the appeal to the public to avoid central Vienna

Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday night that the attack in the heart of Vienna was “definitely” a terror attack that had been “very professionally” planned.

Citing government sources, broadcaster ORF reported that the gunman shot by police outside St Rupert’s Church was carrying an explosive belt and a bag filled with a large amount of ammunition.

Several special forces units have been brought together to search for “mobile perpetrators” who are still believed to be at large.

Oskar Deutsch, the president of the Jewish Community Vienna said on Twitter that all synagogues, Jewish schools, kosher restaurants and supermarkets would remain closed on Tuesday. 

Gunman carrying explosive belt and bag filled with ammunition shot outside St Ruper's church – report

The Guardian’s Philip Oltermann reports that, according to ORF, a gunman has been shot outside St Ruper’s Church. He is reported to have been carrying or wearing an explosive belt and a bag containing ammunition.

Here is what we know so far about this evening’s events: 

• At least one civilian has been killed, and 15 people injured, in aterrorist attack in central Vienna that began shortly after 8pm local time on Monday. The attacks began with volleys of gunfire, and authorities said several attackers remained at large several hours later. The injury and death tolls are expected to rise.
• At least one attacker has been confirmed dead.
• The assaults, by an unknown number of shooters carrying long firearms, occurred at six locations close to Seitenstettengasse in the heart of the Austrian capital.
• The Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, described the assaults as a terror attack and has called the military onto the streets of Vienna. “We are currently going through difficult times in our republic. I would like to thank all the emergency services who risk their lives, especially today for our safety. Our police will take decisive action against the perpetrators of this hideous terrorist attack,” Kurz said.
• The interior minister, Karl Nehammer, said several attackers were still at large at midnight, and warned they were “heavily armed and dangerous”. “We have brought several special forces units together that are now searching for the presumed terrorists. I am therefore not limiting it to an area of Vienna because these are mobile perpetrators,” Nehammer told broadcaster ORF, urging the public to stay indoors until the all-clear was given.
• Police and security authorities have asked people not to share videos and images on social media of the attacks. Authorities have said is hampering attempts to neutralise the offenders.
• Police have told residents to keep away from the centre of Vienna.
• Early reports suggested the nearby Stadttempel synagogue could have been the target of the attack. But Oskar Deutsch, president of Vienna’s Jewish community, said the synagogue on Seitenstettengasse was closed at the time of the attack. He told the Kurier newspaper it was “unclear” if it was a target.
• The attack occurred on the last night before a new coronavirus lockdown was due to come into force in the city.
• EU and other world leaders have expressed their solidarity with the Austrian people.

At least one person dead, and 15 injured in Vienna 'terror attack'

Denise Hruby, Frederik Pleitgen, Simon Cullen and Eliza Mackintosh

Gunmen with automatic weapons opened fire at six locations in central Vienna on Monday evening, killing at least one person and injuring 15, including a police officer, according to Austrian authorities. 

One gunman has been shot dead by police. Authorities are urging the public to stay inside while the other gunmen -- it is unclear how many there are in total -- remain at large.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer have described the incident as a "terror attack." 

"We are still in battle against the would-be terrorists," Nehammer said on Austrian public broadcaster ORF, adding that several suspects are carrying assault rifles. "We assume there are several heavily armed perpetrators."

Gunfire erupted in the Austrian capital at around 8 p.m. local time, hours before the start of a nationwide lockdown to combat a resurgence of Covid-19, according to police.

Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig said the attackers started randomly shooting at people in a busy district packed with cafes and restaurants near Vienna's main synagogue, Seitenstettengasse Temple. 

"We are trying to find out more about the perpetrators and keep the population safe," he told ORF

Kurz told ORF that "an anti-Semitic motive cannot be excluded" due to the attack's proximity to the synagogue.

Oskar Deutsch, the head of Vienna's Jewish community, said in a tweet that it was unclear whether the synagogue was a target, but that it was closed at the time of the shooting. 

Footage shared on social media showed people running away from the scene as the gunfire began. Police are urging people to avoid the area and not share photos or videos on social media.