Police in Vienna have used explosives to enter the house of a gunman who on Monday opened fire in Vienna, Austria, killing 3 and injuring 15.
Vienna is on high alert soon after the incident, as police ramp up their investigation into the attack and search for other suspects.
At least 3 people, included two men and one woman, were killed in the shooting. A further 15 are injured, including a police officer, and are being treated in hospitals, Vienna police said.
In addition to the three fatalities, one gunman was shot dead by police. During a press conference early on Tuesday morning, Austrian Interior Minister, Karl Nehammer, said the shooter was wearing a fake explosive belt at the time of the attack and had been “radicalized.”
“The radicalized person is someone who is an IS sympathizer,” said Nehammer, referring to the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The attack, which began around 8 p.m., was carried out on the busy shopping and dining district near Vienna’s main synagogue, Seitenstettengasse Temple, which was closed.
Vienna mayor Michael Ludwig said shots appeared to be fired at random, as people dined and drank outside due to the warm weather and virus concerns. A nationwide Covid-19 lockdown was set to begin at midnight.
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Reaction to the attack
Footage shared on social media of the shooting shows a chaotic situation, with people fleeing from the scene in all directions on foot.
Inside the Vienna Burgtheater, artistic director Martin Kusej took to the stage to announce there had been an incident nearby while advising opera attendees to stay inside the theater.
“After France, it is a friendly country that is under attack,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter. “Europe strongly condemns this cowardly act that violates life and our human values,” the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said on Twitter.
