Terrorists opened fire at several sites Monday evening in central Vienna, including in the area of a major synagogue and the offices of the Jewish community, killing up to two people, according to Austrian media reports.
Police said that several shots were fired shortly after 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) on a lively street in the city center and that there were six shooting locations.
Unverified footage on social media showed gunmen walking through the streets, apparently shooting at people at random, wounding several.
The motive was under investigation, but Kurz said the possibility it was an anti-Semitic attack cannot be ruled out, given that the shooting began outside Vienna’s main synagogue. It was closed at the time.
Several suspects were still at large after midnight, Austrian authorities said.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer both said the incidents were a terror attack with multiple perpetrators.
“We are victims of a repulsive terror attack in the federal capital that is still ongoing,” Kurz said hours after the gunfire erupted.
“One of the perpetrators was neutralized, but several perpetrators appear to still be on the loose,” he said. “They seem to also, as far as we know, be very well equipped, with automatic weapons. So they were very well prepared.
Vienna Police has confirmed two person has died in the shooting, several people including an officer have been injured and one suspect has been shot and killed by police.
The situation is still unfolding with police asking everyone in the city to keep their doors locked.
There were hundreds of people out in Vienna, enjoying their final night of freedom before another coronavirus lockdown comes into effect.
All of those people remain in the bars, restaurants and other venues while police continue to search for the attackers.
