Terror struck Vienna on Monday night as multiple gunmen opened fire in the city's central. Several people, including a policeman, were injured in the shooting and at least one person is believed to be dead. One of the gunmen was reportedly shot dead and second one arrested by the police, the reports said.
"Shots fired in the Inner City district – there are persons injured - KEEP AWAY from all public places or public transport," police had tweeted. "There are several injured persons. We are on site with all available forces. Please avoid all public squares in the city."
Several injured in terror attack
The shooting took place in the Austrian capital in the wee hours amidst the nationwide lockdown. At least 15 people are being treated for injuries in local hospitals, a spokesperson for the Vienna hospital association told ORF. Of these, seven were reported to be in critical condition. The area of shooting is packed with bars and Vienna's main temple, the Seitenstettengasse synagogue.
"At the moment we assume there are several perpetrators. Unfortunately, there are also several injured, probably also dead," said Karl Nehammer, Austria's interior minister, calling the incident a terror attack.
Several videos from the site have appeared on social media, showing the horrors of the aftermath. One of the videos showed a man lying in a pool of blood. The video of one gunman showed him stepping out of a restaurant and firing a rifle twice down a street and then pointing to a man in close range. The shocking video also showed him return to the injured man and shoot him twice with a handgun.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
These people are not human! We must stop turning our backs and face the enemy! Here it is! #Vienna #Terror #TerroristAttacks
— Alan Fisher (@AlanFisherV2) November 2, 2020
pic.twitter.com/i7l3yrPnQk
Vienna police has urged people not to post any videos or pictures of the shooting to social media. Instead, asked them to be sent over to the authorities to help with the investigation.