Police officers stand guard on a street near Schwedenplatz square after exchanges of gunfire in Vienna, Austria.                                                                                --Photo agencies

4 dead in Vienna shooting; attacker sympathized with IS

VIENNA (China Daily/ANN) -- Austria’s top security official says that four people have died - including one assailant - after a shooting in the heart of Vienna late Monday.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammenr told reporters Tuesday that two men and a woman have died from their injuries. A suspected attacker, who was carrying an assault rifle and a fake suicide vest, was also shot and killed by police.
Nehammer said that initial investigations indicate that the suspect who was killed had sympathised with the Islamic State group.
“The attacker sympathized with the militant terrorist group IS,” Nehammer told reporters. He declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation.
Authorities were still trying to determine whether further attackers may be on the run. People in Vienna have been urged to stay at home Tuesday.
Fifteen people were injured in the attack in the center of the capital, among them a police officer.
The shooting began shortly after 8 pm Monday near Vienna’s main synagogue as many people were enjoying a last night of open restaurants and bars before the start of a coronavirus lockdown.
“We are victims of a despicable terror attack in the federal capital that is still ongoing,” Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said.
The attack drew swift condemnation and assurances of support from leaders around Europe.

(Latest Update November 4, 2020)