Death Toll Climbs in Vienna, Where '100 Rounds' Rang Out

Suspect was ISIS 'sympathizer' with previous terror conviction: officials
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 3, 2020 6:49 AM CST
Death Toll Climbs in Vienna, Where '100 Rounds' Rang Out
Armed police are seen at the scene of a shooting in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday.   (Photo/Ronald Zak)

Four victims have been confirmed dead following a terror attack in Vienna in which at least one shooter fired at people enjoying a night out in the city on the eve of a national lockdown. The death toll includes two men and two women, in addition to one shooter. Fifteen others, including a police officer, were seriously injured, seven of whom suffered life-threatening injuries, per Sky News. A 20-year-old dual citizen of Austria and North Macedonia, who had a previous terrorism conviction, was shot and killed by police, according to Austrian security officials. Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said the man—who was carrying an assault rifle and wearing a fake suicide vest—was a "radicalized" Islamic State "sympathizer," per CNN. Authorities used explosives to enter the man's home, where videos were seized. At least one other suspect could be at large.

Shots rang out in the shopping and dining district near Vienna's main synagogue around 8pm Monday, four hours before a second coronavirus lockdown was to go into effect. "They were shooting at least 100 rounds just outside our building," Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister tells Sky News, adding he saw at least one person shooting at people seated outside bars. Police, who initially described six crime scenes, are reviewing more than 20,000 submitted videos while cautioning residents to stay indoors. "We will defend our freedom and democracy together and resolutely by all means," Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said, per NBC News. Nehammer said the attack was "a completely useless attempt to weaken our democratic society or to divide it. We do not tolerate this in any way or from anyone." (This comes days after a terror attack in France.)

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