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At least four people die and 15 are injured in an alleged terrorist attack in Vienna

2020-11-03T10:23:33.689Z


The authorities assured that there could be up to four attackers involved. One of them was killed by the police, which at the moment brings the death toll to five after what happened. "He was a sympathizer of the IS (Islamic State) terrorist militia," the Austrian interior minister said.


At least four people were killed and 15 others seriously injured

,

following an armed attack on Monday around 8:00 pm (local time) in the center of Vienna, the Austrian capital, in what authorities have called a terrorist attack.

They believe there may have been up to

four attackers involved.

One of the attackers was killed by the agents, bringing the temporary death toll to five after what happened.

 Vienna Police Chief Gerhard Puerstl said he was killed at 8:09 pm. 

The fatalities are two men and two women. 

Among the injured is a

28-year-old policeman who is now out of danger.

Police and paramedics respond to a shooting in downtown Vienna, Austria, on November 2, 2020.

About seven people are in critical condition,

the Vienna hospital service said on Tuesday, the Austrian news agency APA reported.

"It looks like it was a terrorist attack," Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told ORF public television on Monday, adding that the attackers were armed with assault rifles.

"He was a sympathizer of the

terrorist militia IS (Islamic State),

" he added on Tuesday on his Twitter account in reference to the suspect killed.

Nehammer later told the APA that the dead attacker, who had roots in the Balkan nation of North Macedonia, had a prior conviction under a law punishing membership in terrorist organizations.

The shots occurred in

six different locations

.

So, at the moment, there are six crime scenes under investigation, police said.

Police said Tuesday the attack was carried out by at least one suspect who was armed with what police called an assault rifle, as well as handguns.

The suspect appeared to be wearing an explosive vest that was determined to be a fake device.

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Authorities are trying to determine if other attackers may be on the run.

The Foreign Minister declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation.

Police said the suspect's apartment had been searched and that police were evaluating various videos.

Several people were detained, an Austrian police spokesman confirmed to NBC News, Telemundo's sister network, on Tuesday. 

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Authorities have asked anyone with photos or videos of the shooting to refrain from posting them on social media and to upload them to share with police to aid in the investigation.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz

described the shooting as a "horrible terrorist attack"

in a statement posted on Twitter.

Kurz thanked the officials for their response and said the country "will never be intimidated by terrorism."

"In order for the police to fully concentrate on fighting terrorism, the federal government has decided that the armed forces take over the protection of property previously carried out by the police in Vienna with immediate effect," Kurz said.

[An American citizen among the fatalities in a terrorist attack near London]

Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria, offered his thoughts and compassion to the wounded and their families in the "alleged terrorist attack in the center of Vienna."

"We will defend our freedom and democracy together and resolutely by all means," Van der Bellen said.

"I am in contact with the federal government and I thank them on behalf of the republic for the statements of support from the international heads of state and government."

Pamela Rendi-Wagner, chair of the Austrian Social Democratic Party, said she was "deeply moved" by the attack.

Vienna residents were encouraged to stay home if possible on Tuesday;

children don't have to go to school.

Some 1,000 police officers were on duty in Vienna on Tuesday morning.

Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister said he saw at least one person shoot people sitting in street bars under his window

near the city's main synagogue.

"They were firing at least

100 bullets right outside our building

," Hofmeister said. 

The shooting took place on the last Monday night before the start of Austria's second shutdown, bringing access to non-essential businesses until the end of November, as coronavirus cases start to rise again.

It also takes place just days after an attack on a church in Nice, France that killed three people.

The Nice incident is being investigated as an alleged terrorist attack.

French President Emmanuel Macron offered his support to the Austrians in a tweet, calling his country a "friendly country" that is under attack.

"This is our Europe. Our enemies need to know who they are dealing with," Macron wrote.

"We will not give up on anything."

US President Donald Trump tweeted Monday night while preparing for his last rally before Election Day: "Our prayers go out to the people of Vienna after another vile act of terrorism in Europe."

"These evil attacks on innocent people must stop," Trump added.

"The US is with Austria, France, and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including radical Islamic terrorists."

The Austrian Army has deployed 75 soldiers to guard key sites in Vienna, releasing the police to continue the investigation.

Germany and Hungary have also offered to send tactical police units to support their Austrian colleagues.

Edited by Gabriela Martínez with information from AP and NBC News.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2020-11-03

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