Four people were killed and 22 were wounded in a shooting incident described as a terrorist attack in the Austrian capital of Vienna on November 2.
The attack started at 8 pm as an armed assailant gunned down civilians near Seitenstettengasse Temple, Vienna’s main synagogue, and reached other locations such as Salzgries, Fleischmarkt, Bauernmarkt, Graben, and Morzinplatz.
The suspect, identified as Kujtim Fejzulai, 20, was killed by the police nine minutes after they arrived on the scene.
Fejzulai was armed with an assault rifle, pistol, machete, and wore a fake bomb vest. Reports said Fejzulai is an ISIS sympathizer and pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abdullah Qardash. The suspect was also sentenced to 22 months of imprisonment last year for attempting to travel to Syria to join the Jihadist group, but was released on parole after eight months.
Further investigations revealed that the gunman, a dual citizen of Austria and North Macedonia announced the attack on his Instagram account. On Tuesday, ISIS supporters celebrated the success of the attack.
“The attack yesterday was clearly an Islamic terror attack. This is not a conflict between Christians and Muslims or between Austrians and migrants. No, this is a fight between the many people who believe in peace and the few (who oppose it),” Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told reporters as he lit a candle for the victims at the crime scene.
According to Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer, there is still no indication of the presence of a ‘second attacker,’ based on the evidence gathered. However, he added that 18 raids were conducted in connection to the incident within 24 hours where 14 people were arrested.
Classes were suspended in the city and civilians were urged to stay at home. A three-day mourning was also declared all over Vienna where all flags on government buildings will be at half-mast.
Other world leaders such as US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack.
“These evil attacks against innocent people must stop,” President Trump tweeted.
“We share the shock and grief of the Austrian people struck this evening by an attack in the heart of their capital,” said President Macron.
Photo by UnratedStudio/Pixabay
