Manhunt underway after shooting rampage on streets of Austrian capital

A manhunt by Austrian special forces is currently underway in the Austrian capital Vienna after a shooting rampage by gunmen near the city’s central synagogue on Monday night. 

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz described the rampage as a “repulsive terrorist attack”, which started at about 8pm on the streets of the old district of Vienna as hundreds of citizens were enjoying a last night of freedom before a second COVID-19 lockdown.

Austria’s Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said overnight that several “heavily armed and dangerous” attackers remained on the loose.

As police shut down and sealed off large parts of central Vienna residents were urged to stay 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 Austrian broadcaster ORF.

Austrian police also confirmed during the night that two men and one woman died in the attack and several people were injured. Police said some were in critical condition in hospitals. 

Nehammer blamed the attack on an Islamic State sympathizer, the only known attacker who was shot dead by police.

Nehammer meanwhile said all six locations in the attack were in the immediate vicinity of the street housing the central synagogue.

Jewish community leader Oskar Deutsch said on Twitter it was not clear whether the Vienna synagogue and adjoining offices had been the target and that 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 said.