Published 06:19 IST, November 3rd 2020
Vienna synagogue shooting: Police expand manhunt, Czech Republic launches border checks
Vienna police force has expanded its manhunt for synagogue shooting attackers outside of the city. The Czech police force has also started random border checks
Vienna police force has expanded its manhunt for synagogue shooting attackers outside of city limits. Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer in a press briefing said the attackers were "heavily armed and dangerous." Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had earlier informed of army deployment in the city to allow Vienna police to focus on their anti-terror efforts.
Meanwhile, the Czech police force is reported to have started random checks on the country’s border with Austria as a preventive measure. This comes as Nehammer confirmed at least one attacker is still on the run. As per Associated Press reports, Vienna authorities said the terror attack has left at least two dead — including one of the assailants — and 15 wounded.
In a series of tweets, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz condemned the incident as a "hideous terrorist attack". He thanked the emergency services personnel for risking their lives and lauded their decisive action against the perpetrators.
The Austrian Chancellor also tweeted his condolences and said, "We will never allow ourselves to be intimidated by terrorism and will fight these attacks resolutely by all means."
Meanwhile, graphic and unverified videos are making rounds on social media showing people bleeding near the outside tables of local restaurants. Vienna police have urgently asked people to exercise restrain and not share videos or photographs of the event on the internet. Authorities have not confirmed if all attackers have been arrested or not and police have urged the people not to post photos or videos to social media as providing live updates on police operation could be dangerous.
Following reports of several people being wounded in a suspected terror attack near a synagogue in Vienna, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with Austria. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has also tweeted his support to the Austrian government.
While the initial reports suggested the attack was at the Stadttempel synagogue, President of the Israelite Religious Society in Austria Oskar Deutsch has confirmed the temple and nearby offices were closed at the time. In a series of tweets, Deutsch said that the shooting was in the immediate vicinity of the synagogue and urged people not to spread unverified information, stay indoors, and follow police instructions.
Vienna after France
This comes after three major terror attacks were reported in France over a period of one month. In the latest attack on October 31, an Orthodox Greek priest in the French city of Lyon was shot outside a church. Just two day prior to that, a man armed with a knife killed three people in a church in Nice.
Earlier on October 16, a history teacher was beheaded outside his school amid ongoing tensions over a French newspaper’s publication of caricatures mocking Prophet Muhammad. The events have heightened tensions across Europe over radical Islamist, secularism and freedom of speech.
Updated 06:19 IST, November 3rd 2020