Austria in shock after terror attack

Homa Lezgee
Press TV, Vienna

Flags at half mast as Austria mourns a shocking terrorist attack that left five people dead and up to 17 others injured.

The victims include an elderly man and woman, a young passerby, and a waitress. The attacker himself, who is said to have fired randomly at people, was shot dead by police.

Authorities have now confirmed he was a 20-year-old with Austrian citizenship and North Macedonian roots. The unnamed individual was sentenced to 22 months in prison back in April 2019 for attempting to travel to Syria to join the Daesh terrorist group. He had been released from prison in December.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said it is a situation Austria has never experienced before.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the attack represented a hatred of Austria’s way of life, pointing out that the enemy was neither a population group nor a member of a religious community.

Several people have already been arrested as police search for possible further perpetrators.

Vienna’s inner city was at the heart of a large-scale anti-terrorist operation on Monday night. The now-identified perpetrator was shot and killed by police shortly after 8pm and his apartment was forcibly opened with explosives and searched. As of now, downtown Vienna has been declared a red zone, the most susceptible to possible further attacks.

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