In Mumbai-like terror attack, gunmen kill 2, injure 15 in Vienna

In an incident finding eerie similarities with the 26/11 Mumbai attack, gunmen opened fire on people in several locations across Vienna, the capital city of Austria, on Monday evening (November 2), the last before a coronavirus lockdown, killing two people and injuring 15.

Shooting took place across six locations, according to the police. They said several shots were fired shortly after 8 pm on a street in the city centre. Security officials suggested the involvement of multiple gunmen and an elaborate police operation that continued for hours.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has described the assault as a “repulsive terror attack”, according to media reports.

The country’s Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told public broadcaster ORF that it appeared to have been a “terror attack” and that the army had been asked to guard the key locations in the city to allow police personnel to pursue the attackers.

As many as 15 people were hospitalised, seven with serious injuries, according to Michael Ludwig, the Mayor of Vienna.

It’s still unclear how many gunmen were involved in total and that at least one gunman is on the run.

Related news | One beheaded, 2 killed in suspected terror attack in France

Schlomo Hofmeister, a spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Vienna, said he saw the shooting outside their building, at bars having tables outside. Given it was the last night before the month-long lockdown, lot of people were expected to go out, according to him.

Authorities in Vienna have urged people to avoid all open spaces and public transportation. Police said trams and buses were not stopping and urged social media users not to post videos of the police operation so as not to endanger officers.

Recently, France had faced three attacks which were blamed on Muslim extremists: one by a Pakistani refugee outside Charlie Hebdo’s old headquarters; beheading of a schoolteacher who showed students caricatures of Prophet Muhammad; and a deadly knife attack in Nice.

In a tweet, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the French “share the shock and grief of the Austrian people hit by an attack tonight”. “After France, this is a friendly country that has been attacked. This is our Europe … We will not give in,” he wrote.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has termed the attacks as “shocking” and asserted that India stands with Austria during this tragic time. “Deeply shocked and saddened by the dastardly terror attacks in Vienna. India stands with Austria during this tragic time. My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he said.