An attack by multiple gunmen in a busy part of central Vienna has left at least one person dead and several others wounded, the Austrian capital’s police department said.
One attacker was also killed by police forces, in what officials described as a “terror attack”.
The shooting began at about 8 pm (19:00 GMT) on Monday when several suspects armed with rifles started opening fire in Seitenstettengasse, police said. Shots were fired in “six different locations”, it added.
A large police operation was still ongoing, and authorities urged residents to keep away from all public places and to not use public transport. A large area of central Vienna was cordoned off.
The shooting happened hours before a coronavirus lockdown was due to come into effect in the country.
Austria’s interior minister, Karl Nehammer, called the incident “an apparent terror attack”. He told public broadcaster ORF: “I can confirm that there were several injured and that there are probably also deaths among them.”
