Reinforced police presence in the center of Vienna, November 2, 2020. -

JOE KLAMAR / AFP

There were people in the streets of Vienna on Monday evening.

Before a month of confinement, music lovers enjoyed a last opera, young people had a nightcap.

At around 8 p.m., armed snipers suddenly struck the heart of the capital.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called the attack, which left at least three dead, "terrorist".

What happened ?

The drama took place in the heart of the Austrian capital, near an important synagogue and the Opera House.

"At this stage, it is not possible to say whether the synagogue" was the target of the shooters, said Oskar Deutsch, president of the Vienna Israelite Community (IKG).

In all, "six different places" were targeted by the shootings, according to the police.

Witnesses said they saw a man shoot "like crazy" with an automatic weapon.

"It looked like firecrackers, then we realized that it was gunshots," one of them explained on the ORF public television channel.

A witness interviewed on television said he saw "a person running with an automatic weapon", another reporting "at least 50 shots".

Astonishment immediately set in in the restaurants and bars of the area, where customers were asked to stay inside, lights off, while ambulance sirens howled outside.

Helicopters flying over the scene, police lines, border controls, soldiers and police officers mobilized to find the fleeing aggressor: the city of Vienna quickly turned into an entrenched zone, while Chancellor Kurz condemned "a disgusting terrorist attack" .

According to authorities, three people were killed in the attack and one of the attackers was shot dead by police.

Seven seriously injured, assailant shot dead sympathetic to Daesh

The first victim is a passer-by and the second, a woman who died of her injuries, according to statements to ORF from the mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, who also reported 15 people hospitalized, including seven in serious condition.

The number of the attackers is not known but one of them is still wanted.

“At least one suspect is on the run,” Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said.

The attacker who was killed by the police was "a sympathizer" of the jihadist group Daesh, announced Tuesday morning the Austrian Minister of the Interior.

"The clues collected clearly show that he is a radicalized person who felt close to Daesh," Karl Nehammer said at a press conference.

Investigators entered his home by forcing the door with explosives, he said, without wishing to give more details on the profile of the attacker.

"Heavily armed", he was equipped with an assault rifle and a belt of explosives which proved to be fictitious, according to the minister.

A wind of panic in the city

The Interior Minister called on residents to be careful and stay at home.

“Stay at home!

If you are outside, take refuge somewhere!

Stay away from public places, do not use transport!

», Launched the police on his Twitter account.

Police and soldiers were mobilized to protect important buildings in the capital, and children were exempted from school on Tuesday.

“We will never allow ourselves to be intimidated by terrorism and we will fight these attacks with all our means,” Chancellor Kurz said.

The attack sparked many condemnations around the world.

“These attacks of evil against innocent people must stop,” said US President Donald Trump.

“The United States stands with Austria, France, and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including radical Islamic terrorists,” he said.

"We will not give in" ... The many international reactions

We French share the shock and grief of the Austrian people struck this evening by an attack in the heart of their capital, Vienna.

After France, a friendly country is attacked.

This is our Europe.

Our enemies must know who they are dealing with.

We will not give up.

- Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 2, 2020

The European Union “strongly” condemned this “horrible attack”, in the words of European Council President Charles Michel on Twitter, referring to “a cowardly act” which “violates life and our human values”.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote, also on Twitter: “Europe stands in full solidarity with Austria.

We are stronger than hatred and terror ”.

“Our enemies need to know who they are dealing with.

We will not give up, ”reacted French President Emmanuel Macron.

This attack, in a city where crime is usually very low, takes place in a very tense climate in Europe.

In France, three people were killed Thursday in a knife attack at the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption basilica in Nice (south-east) by a young Tunisian recently arrived in Europe.

A few days earlier, the assassination of Samuel Paty, a history teacher who had shown caricatures of Muhammad to his students in a course on freedom of expression, had shocked France and beyond.

Austria had so far been relatively spared the wave of Islamist attacks in Europe in recent years.

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  • Vienna (Austria)