Vienna attacks

Gunmen carrying Kalashnikovs attacked as many as six locations in the Austrian capital of Vienna, killing at least five people and injuring several others in what the interior minister described as “Islamist terrorist” incident. The attacks, including one near a synagogue in the city centre, were carried out by “several suspects armed with rifles”, according to the police. One of the attackers — who was wearing an explosives belt that turned out to be fake and who was identified by authorities as an sympathiser of the Islamic State group — was shot dead by the police while at least one more is said to be on the loose.

At first glance, it appeared as though Vienna’s central synagogue was the target. The synagogue has great significance to the local Jewish community. Built in the 1820s, it was the only synagogue in the country to survive Nazi rule during World War II and has also been the target of terrorist attacks in recent history. But local Jewish leaders later said they the synagogue itself was not attacked, but rather bystanders nearby.

Whether or not the attackers were targeting the synagogue, they found several victims on the busy street and in nearby cafes, innocent people who were enjoying their last dose of nightlife for a while. Hundreds of rounds were reportedly fired in the attack, making it miraculous that the casualty count stayed relatively low. School closures were announced due to the attack, and neighbouring countries tightened their borders to catch the terrorist if he tried to leave the country. The army was also deployed in the city as a massive manhunt continued through the night.

While a motive for the attackers was not announced by Austrian officials, the timing is worrisome, coming after at least two terrorist attacks in France. Indeed, the French had said that more attacks could be forthcoming. But even they would not have expected the next one to be in Austria, which has largely stayed out of the culture war being cited in the French attacks.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2020.

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