Vienna Attack Live Updates: One More Injured Person Dies, 14 Linked to Terrorist Detained

Austrian authorities have requested information regarding three North Macedonian nationals suspected of involvement in the Vienna terrorist attack, the Balkan country’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the Austrian Interior Ministry confirmed that one of the participants in the gun rampage in the capital was 20-year-old Albanian Kujtim Fejzulai, whose family had moved from the North Macedonian city of Tetovo to Vienna. Other suspects, according to Austrian media, are natives of Kosovo, Russia’s Chechnya and Bangladesh.

"On the list of the Austrian police ... three persons hold the citizenship of North Macedonia along with the Austrian one. They are K. F. [Kujtim Fejzulai], born in the Austrian city of Mödling; A. G. from Sankt Pölten; and U. A., born in Vienna. The interior ministry’s international cooperation sector has immediately begun intensive cooperation with Austrian colleagues on this case," the press release said.

The ministry added that Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had called his North Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, who assured the former of his commitment to cooperate on the matter.

Presidents Alexander Van der Bellen of Austria and Stevo Pendarovski of North Macedonia have also held a phone call, the Balkan leader’s office reported.

نشارك الأصدقاء في جمهورية النمسا الحزن جراء الجريمة الإرهابية التي استهدفت الأبرياء في فيينا، هذه الجريمة الشنيعة ومثيلاتها تتنافى مع كل الأديان والقيم الإنسانية، وتؤكد لنا بأن الإرهاب لا دين ولا عرق له

— Adel Aljubeir عادل الجبير (@AdelAljubeir) November 3, 2020

Russian State Duma members strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Vienna and are interested in further building up international cooperation to combat the terrorist threat, State Duma Chairman Viacheslav Volodin said.

"Parliamentarians of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly strongly condemn the terrorist act in the centre of Vienna. I ask to convey our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed, wishes of a speedy recovery to those injured. We are interested in further building up international cooperation, including at the legislative level, to combat the terrorist threat," Volodin said.

Two persons were arrested in the Swiss canton of Zurich in connection with the terrorist attack in Vienna, the police of the city of Winterthur said.

The police arrested two Swiss citizens, 18 and 24 years old.

"The extent to which the arrested and the alleged offender are connected is currently under investigation," the statement says.

Three people involved in Vienna attack have dual citizenship of Austria and North Macedonia, and all of them were born in Austria, North Macedonian police say.

Mit den Menschen in #Wien und Österreich verbindet uns die Trauer um die Opfer, aber auch die Entschlossenheit, Fanatismus und Terror mit aller Kraft entgegenzutreten. Wir müssen den Tätern jetzt klar zeigen: Ihr werdet euer Ziel, die Spaltung unserer Gesellschaft, nie erreichen.

— Heiko Maas 🇪🇺 (@HeikoMaas) November 3, 2020

The analysis of eyewitnesses' footage of the Vienna terrorist attack does not yet indicate the presence of a second culprit, but this is not the final conclusion, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said.

According to him, eyewitnesses of the events provided the police with 1 terabyte of data, 20,000 videos. At the moment, experts from the federal criminal police department are studying them.

"By now, more than 50 percent of the material has been viewed, but the assessment has not yet been completed. However, the videos analyzed so far do not indicate the presence of a second culprit. But since the analysis has not yet been completed, we cannot conclusively state how many criminals are responsible for attack," Nehammer said.

Nehammer dismissed criticism of police action during the Vienna attack.

"Not even a day has passed since the terrorist attack. I think I would be a bad interior minister if I was pointing a finger at someone. First of all, it’s about fast security, secondly, quick work and third very important point — to understand exactly what to do," Nehammer said when asked whether it was possible to say that the police had failed.

The authorities of Vienna did not receive any signals about preparation of the terrorist attack, Mayor Michael Ludwig said at a press conference.

"I do not know anything about the receipt of such signals," he said, answering whether the city authorities had been informed by national or international intelligence agencies that such a crime was being prepared.

It is not known whether the previously convicted terrorist who killed four people was under surveillance, Ludwig said.

"I don’t know this. But you said correctly, he [the terrorist] was previously convicted, including because of sympathies for the Islamic State [IS, a terrorist group banned in Russia]. He also showed readiness to participate in hostilities in Syria," the mayor said.

He added that police action against a previously convicted terrorist "will certainly be a topic of discussion in the future."

"One person died in a Vienna hospital, 10 people were discharged. Another 13 people are still hospitalised, three of them are in critical condition. Four people have been stabilised," Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig said at a press conference.

Ludwig added that the authorities of Vienna did not receive any advance notice about the preparation of the terrorist attack.

It is not known whether the previously convicted terrorist who killed four people was under surveillance, Ludwig said.

"I don’t know this. But you said correctly, he [the terrorist] was previously convicted, including because of sympathies for Daesh [a terrorist group banned in Russia]. He also showed readiness to participate in hostilities in Syria," the mayor said.

He added that police action against a previously convicted terrorist "will certainly be a topic of discussion in the future."

The police response to the terrorist attack in Vienna, in Ludwig's view, was very swift, with the first squads arriving a few minutes after the alert.

"The sad results show that we can act very quickly in an emergency. The police arrived at the scene within a few minutes and were able to neutralise the criminal. The rescue services were also very quickly on the spot," Ludwig said.

He added that 150 police crews had taken part in the special operation to capture possible accomplices of the terrorist.

The number of people injured in the terrorist attack in Vienna has reached 22 people, four were killed, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said on Tuesday.

"There are four victims on the conscience of the criminal, at the moment we have information about 22 injured," Nehammer said at a press conference.

The policeman, who was wounded in the terrorist attack, successfully underwent surgery, his condition is stable, the minister said.

"The policeman, who was seriously injured while performing his duties, underwent surgery. According to the doctors, his condition is stable, the surgery was successful," he said."It is important for me to note that the injured policeman was taken to safety by Austrians with a migrant background".

Karl Nehammer added that the attacker managed to "fool the de-radicalisation programme of the justice system".

"The perpetrator managed to fool the de-radicalisation programme of the justice system, to fool the people in it, and to get an early release through this," Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told a press conference.

Germany is in close communication with Austria and France following recent terrorist attacks, top German diplomat Heiko Maas said on Tuesday.

“We are conducting a close exchange of information with Austrian colleagues, as well as with French colleagues," Maas said at a joint press conference with Meliza Haradinaj, the foreign minister of self-proclaimed Kosovo.

Asked if the attacks in Austria and France increase the risk of a terror incident in Germany, Maas said that all sides, including the Muslim world, must do everything to not allow for an escalation of the situation.

“These are not only cultural confrontations, but they also lead to more violence in Europe. All parties must do their part to ensure that the situation does not escalate further. Therefore, we are looking at how the Arab world is reacting,” he said, adding that he brought this up in recent calls with top diplomats of the UAE and Pakistan.

Maas concluded by saying that Europe and the whole world must be united in harboring zero tolerance for terrorism.

Austrian police detained a suspect in the attack on the capital in the city of Linz, local media reported Tuesday.

The person who was detained in Linz is known to be an Islamist, like the other attacker, who was shot on Monday, Krone Zeitung reported.

Olemme lisänneet näkyvää valvontaa ja valmiutta Itävallassa ja Ranskassa tapahtuneiden terrori-iskujen takia. Mitään konkreettista uhkaa ei ole tiedossa, mutta meidän pitää reagoida mahdollisiin tilanteisiin tarvittaessa nopeasti. #poliisi #helsinki

— Helsingin poliisi (@HelsinkiPoliisi) November 3, 2020

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer on Tuesday confirmed that four people died as a result of a terrorist attack in Vienna on Monday night.

"We continue to assume that there was at least one criminal. Search activities are ongoing so that we can rule out that there are other criminals," the minister told the OE24.TV broadcaster.

Nehammer did not reveal the perpetrator's identity.

"It was a serious terrorist attack that we have not seen for many years. We have four civilians killed, one criminal killed, it took nine minutes to neutralize a heavily armed criminal," the minister added.

Nehammer also said that there was gunfire at six different locations on Monday night.

London is ready to provide all necessary support to the Austrian government and people in connection with the series of terrorist attacks in Vienna, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday.

"Shocked by the reports of a series of terrorist attacks in Vienna. We stand ready to support the Austrian government and people in any way we can," Raab said on Twitter.

Shortly before midnight, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also took to the social platform to condemn the attacks.

“I am deeply shocked by the terrible attacks in Vienna tonight. The UK’s thoughts are with the people of Austria - we stand united with you against terror,” Johnson wrote.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday expressed support to families of victims of the terrorist attacks in Vienna, and said that France, which itself has been recently shaken by a series of violent acts, would continue to contribute to the common fight against extremism.

"Europe is once again touched to the heart! Our Austrian friends are struck by terrorism. My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and the Austrian people. Our support in this terrible ordeal is total. Our fight against this deadly barbarism continues," Le Drian tweeted.

Israel condemns the brutal attack in Vienna and stands in total solidarity with Austria. Civilized peoples everywhere must unite to defeat the savagery of resurgent Islamist terrorism.

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) November 3, 2020

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack in Vienna and offered his condolences to Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Putin sent a telegram to Kurz and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen after Monday's attack in the Austrian capital. Fire was opened in several locations, killing four people and injuring 18. One attacker was shot dead by the law enforcement, but a few more may be at large, according to media reports.

"The Russian president has strongly condemned this cruel and cynical crime, which yet again proved the inhumane nature of terrorism and expressed certainty that terrorists would not succeed in scaring people, sowing discord and disagreements among people of different religions," the telegram said, according to the Kremlin.

The president conveyed his condolences for the loved ones of the victims and wished the injured speedy recovery.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday has condemned last night's terrorist attack in Vienna, in which at least four people died and up to 17 people were injured.

“We are saddened to receive the news that there are dead and wounded as a result of the terrorist attack that took place in Vienna. We strongly condemn this attack, extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wish for a speedy recovery to the wounded,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that “as a country that has been fighting against all sorts of terrorism for decades Turkey stands in solidarity with the Austrian people.”

"In these terrible hours when Vienna has become the target of terrorist violence, my thoughts are with the people there and the security forces facing the danger," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement published by her spokesman on Twitter.

"We Germans stand in sympathy and solidarity with our Austrian friends. The fight against Islamist terrorism is our common struggle," she said.

After the shooting incidents in Vienna, the capital of neighboring Austria, the Slovak Information Service (SIS, counterintelligence) is in close contact with its Austrian colleagues and coordinates its activities with the republic's Interior Ministry, SIS said on Facebook.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and are in close contact with our Austrian colleagues and the republic's Interior Ministry," SIS said.

Our prayers are with the people of Vienna after yet another vile act of terrorism in Europe. These evil attacks against innocent people must stop. The U.S. stands with Austria, France, and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including radical Islamic terrorists.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2020

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Security measures across Austria, including in border areas, are being tightened following the Vienna attacks, Interior Ministry spokesperson Harald Soros said.

"Of course, efforts have been made to reinforce personnel throughout the country, at the borders, as you heard from the minister. The focus here, of course, is on the entire country, but in such situations it is necessary, since the available number of personnel is limited, to determine separate zones to be heavily guarded, in this case the central districts of Vienna, where we have six locations where the attacks took place," Soros said on ORF 1 TV.

He added that the Austrian authorities were calling on people in Vienna, as well as across the country, to remain home and avoid the streets as much as possible.

According to Austrian ORF TV, the mayor of Vienna said that a second civilian died after the terror attack in the Vienna city centre.

According to the ORF report, citing the crisis team, a suspected perpetrator who was shot was wearing an explosive belt.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig has confirmed that there are 15 injured, all hospitalized, following attacks in the Austrian capital.

"In total, 15 people have been hospitalized, seven of them sustained serious injuries," Ludwig said on ORF 1 TV, wishing the injured a swift recovery.

"The Russian Embassy in Vienna is in contact with the Austrian competent teams to clarify the issue of civilian assistance during the terrorist attack. Our condolences to Austria!", Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - More than 1000 people remain stuck in the famous Vienna State Opera as an alleged terrorist attack has occurred in the vicinity of the concert hall, a source from the Opera told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"It is really scary. They finished singing 30 minutes ago. There are more than 1000 people [stuck at the Vienna State Opera]," the source said.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer warned that terrorists who remain at large after attack in Vienna are well armed and pose a serious danger.

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The Austrian Interior Ministry can neither confirm nor deny reports that one of the attackers in Vienna had an explosive belt, Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Soros said.

"At this point, we can neither confirm nor deny the reports," Soros said on ORF, asked whether it was true that one of the attackers had an explosive belt.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Vienna police have detained four terrorists on Graben Street in central Vienna, not far from the synagogue where the deadly Monday shooting was carried out, the Austrian OE24 broadcaster reports.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said on ORF 1 TV that he could not immediately confirm this information. Nehammer did say that a search for the attackers continues.

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said that he, along with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, is in the crisis center created after the terrorist attack in the country's capital.

"I am now at the operational headquarters jointly with the federal chancellor," he said on the ORF TV channel.

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Police are conducting checks in central Vienna after the synagogue shooting, passers-by at the Vienna State Opera have been laid down on the pavement, the Austrian OE24 broadcaster reports.

According to OE24, up to seven attackers could still be at large in Vienna following the deadly shooting at a synagogue in the Austrian capital.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Up to seven criminals could still be at large in Vienna following the deadly shooting at a synagogue in the center of the Austrian capital, the OE24 broadcaster reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - One police officer was killed in a terrorist attack in the Schwedenplatz area in Vienna, according to the local newspaper Kronen Zeitung citing its own information.

The newspaper wrote that the policeman had died from injuries.

Earlier, Austrian media reported that at least seven people were killed in a shooting at a synagogue in central Vienna, several others were injured. According to the OE24 broadcaster, about 50 shots were fired in the street near the synagogue.

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Police officers with weapons and flashlights are combing the streets in the center of Vienna after shooting at a synagogue, they are checking cars, according to the footage of the special operation broadcast live on the N-tv channel.

Groups of three or four policemen pass through the empty streets, they shine their flashlights under the cars.

VIENNA (Sputnik) - The Russian embassy in Vienna told Sputnik on Monday that the diplomats are looking for information whether there were Russians among the victims of the shooting in the city center.

"We are finding out this information," the embassy's spokesperson said.