Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday Vienna attack that killed at least four people, without providing evidence, in a statement from the group’s Amaq News Agency posted on Telegram.
The statement was accompanied by a picture of a bearded man, named “Abu Dagnah Al-Albany,” saying he attacked crowds in central Vienna on Monday with a gun and a machine gun before he was killed himself by Austrian police.
According to reports, multiple shooters opened fire at six locations in central Vienna, starting near the central synagogue on Monday. The suspects killed at least one person and wounded several others. The minister said the incident appeared to be a terrorist attack.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said several “heavily armed and dangerous” attackers were still on the loose as police shut down and sealed off large parts of central Vienna in a chase. Residents were advised to remain indoors.
“We have brought several special forces units together that are now searching for the presumed terrorists. I am therefore not limiting it to an area of Vienna because these are mobile perpetrators,” Nehammer told broadcaster ORF.
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Islamic state behind Vienna attack – Amaq News
Police said on Twitter that a cop was among the injured in the Vienna attack.
Vienna mayor Michael Ludwig told ORF that 15 people were being treated in Vienna hospitals, and seven were in serious condition.
According to Nehammer, all six locations in the attack were in the street’s immediate vicinity housing the central synagogue.
Oskar Deutsch, Jewish community leader, said on Twitter, it was not clear whether the Vienna attack shooters targeted synagogue and adjoining offices and said they were closed at the time.
“We are living in the compound of the synagogue. Upon hearing shots, we looked down (from) the windows and saw the gunmen shooting at the guests of the various bars and pubs,” Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister told London’s LBC radio.
“The gunmen were running around and shooting at least 100 rounds or even more in front of our building,” he said.