AUSTRIA. Vienna: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on people in Vienna and left at least two persons dead and 15 wounded on Monday. The attack came when people were enjoying the last evening before a COVID-19 lockdown in the country.
The shooting occurred near Vienna’s main synagogue, the Seitenstettengrasse Temple, in a busy area packed with cafes and restaurants. Gunfire erupted at around 8 p.m. in the evening.
Gunmen with automatic rifles opened fire at six locations in central Vienna. One gunman has been shot dead by police and at least one attacker is at large. Authorities are urging the people to stay inside during this manhunt for the terrorist. Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that an anti – Semitic motive cannot be excluded due to the attack’s proximity to the synagogue.
Oscar Deutsch, the head of Vienna’s Jewish community, tweeted, “It cannot be said at the moment whether the city temple was one of the goals”. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted “We, the French people, share the shock and the pain of Austrian people. Our enemies don’t know who they are up against. We will not give in”.
Several leaders from around the world have also shared their statements expressing their shocks, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
