Police officers stay in position at stairs named 'Theodor Herzl Stiege' near a synagogue after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Austrian police say several people have been injured and officers are out in force following gunfire in the capital Vienna. Initial reports that a synagogue was the target of an attack couldn't immediately be confirmed. Austrian news agency APA quoted the country's Interior Ministry saying one attacker has been killed and another could be on the run.(Photo/Ronald Zak)
The Associated Press
VIENNA (AP) - Gunmen opened fire on people enjoying a last night out at Vienna's cafes and restaurants before a coronavirus lockdown Monday in what authorities said was a terrorist attack that left at least two dead - including one of the assailants - and 15 wounded.
'œWe are victims of a despicable terror attack in the federal capital that is still ongoing,'ť Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said hours after the gunfire erupted.
'œOne of the perpetrators was neutralized, but several perpetrators appear to still be on the loose,'ť he said. 'œThey seem to also, as far as we know, be very well equipped, with automatic weapons. So they were very well prepared."
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.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said the army had been asked to guard key locations in the city as hundreds of heavily armed police hunted for the gunmen. He urged people in Vienna to stay indoors and avoid the city center and encouraged parents not to send their children to school on Tuesday.
Kurz praised police for killing one of the attackers and vowed: 'œWe will not never allow ourselves to be intimidated by terrorism and will fight these attacks with all means."
Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig said 15 people were hospitalized, seven with serious injuries.
Oskar Deutsch, the head of the Jewish community in Vienna, said it was not clear whether the main synagogue had been targeted.
Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister said he saw at least one person shoot at people sitting outside at bars in the street below his window.
'œThey were shooting at least 100 rounds just outside our building,'ť Hofmeister said.
'œAll these bars have tables outside. This evening is the last evening before the lockdown,'ť he added. 'œAs of midnight, all bars and restaurants will be closed in Austria for the next month, and a lot of people probably wanted to use that evening to be able to go out.'ť
President Donald Trump tweeted American support for Austria in fighting terrorism. 'œOur prayers are with the people of Vienna after yet another vile act of terrorism in Europe. These evil attacks against innocent people must stop,'ť he wrote.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the French 'œshare the shock and grief of the Austrian people hit by an attack tonight.'ť
'œAfter France, this is a friendly country that has been attacked. This is our Europe. ... We will not give in,'ť he wrote.
France has endured three attacks blamed on Muslim extremists in recent weeks: the wounding of two people outside satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo's old headquarters; the beheading of a schoolteacher who showed students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad; and a deadly knife attack Thursday in a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.
All of the attacks were strongly condemned at the time by Austria's chancellor.
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Frank Jordans reported from Berlin. Kirsten Grieshaber and David Rising contributed to this report from Berlin.
A police officer stay in position at the scene after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Austrian police say several people have been injured and officers are out in force following gunfire in the capital Vienna. Initial reports that a synagogue was the target of an attack couldn't immediately be confirmed. Austrian news agency APA quoted the country's Interior Ministry saying one attacker has been killed and another could be on the run.(Photo/Ronald Zak)
The Associated Press
Police officers walk at the scene after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Austrian police say several people have been injured and officers are out in force following gunfire in the capital Vienna. Initial reports that a synagogue was the target of an attack couldn't immediately be confirmed. Austrian news agency APA quoted the country's Interior Ministry saying one attacker has been killed and another could be on the run.(Photo/Ronald Zak)
The Associated Press
In this image made from video, police at the scene after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Austrian police say several people have been injured and officers are out in force following gunfire in the capital Vienna. Initial reports that a synagogue was the target of an attack couldn't immediately be confirmed. Austrian news agency APA quoted the country's Interior Ministry saying one attacker has been killed and another could be on the run. (AP Photo)
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In this image made from video, police at the scene after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Austrian police say several people have been injured and officers are out in force following gunfire in the capital Vienna. Initial reports that a synagogue was the target of an attack couldn't immediately be confirmed. Austrian news agency APA quoted the country's Interior Ministry saying one attacker has been killed and another could be on the run. (AP Photo)
The Associated Press
Police officers check a person following a gunfire in the neighborhood of a synagogue in Vienna, Germany, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. (Photo/Ronald Zak)
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Police officers check a car at the scene after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Austrian police say several people have been injured and officers are out in force following gunfire in the capital Vienna. Initial reports that a synagogue was the target of an attack couldn't immediately be confirmed. Austrian news agency APA quoted the country's Interior Ministry saying one attacker has been killed and another could be on the run.(Photo/Ronald Zak)
The Associated Press
A police officers walk near ambulances at the scene after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Austrian police say several people have been injured and officers are out in force following gunfire in the capital Vienna. Initial reports that a synagogue was the target of an attack couldn't immediately be confirmed. Austrian news agency APA quoted the country's Interior Ministry saying one attacker has been killed and another could be on the run.(Photo/Ronald Zak)
The Associated Press
Police officers check a person after gunshots were heard, in Vienna, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Police in the Austrian capital said several shots were fired shortly after 8 p.m. local time in a lively street in the city center of Vienna and that there were six different shooting locations. Austria's top security official said authorities believe there were several gunmen involved and that a police operation was still ongoing. (Photo/Ronald Zak)
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Police officers stay in position during an operation, in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Police in the Austrian capital said several shots were fired shortly after 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 2, in a lively street in the city center of Vienna and that there were six different shooting locations. Austria's top security official said authorities believe there were several gunmen involved and that a police operation was still ongoing. (Photo/Ronald Zak)
The Associated Press
Police officers stay in position during an operation, in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Police in the Austrian capital said several shots were fired shortly after 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 2, in a lively street in the city center of Vienna and that there were six different shooting locations. Austria's top security official said authorities believe there were several gunmen involved and that a police operation was still ongoing. (Photo/Ronald Zak)
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