Vienna shootings: Two dead, including one suspect; 15 wounded

Vienna : At least 15 people have been wounded and two died when gunmen went berserk shooting in the streets here the evening before Covid lock down on Monday.

Police say several shots were fired shortly after 8 pm as people enjoying bar and restaurants, and security forces shot down one of the attackers.

"I am glad that our police were able to neutralize one of the attackers,'' Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said. "We will never allow ourselves to be intimidated by terrorism and will fight these attacks with all means.''

Reports quoting Austria's security official say that authorities believe there were several gunmen involved in the attack.

Operation to corner the attackers was still going on hours later.

Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig said 15 people were hospitalized, seven with serious injuries.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told public broadcaster ORF that the shooting appeared to have been a terror attack.

The army had been called in to guard key locations in the city to allow police officers to pursue the attackers, he was quoted as saying.

The shooting took place in the street outside the city's main synagogue, however, it's not yet clear the place of worship was targeted, said Oskar Deutsch, the head of the Jewish community in Vienna.

Report say that a police officer, sustained injuries in multiple shootings in six different locations.

Meanwhile, Local media reported that at least seven people were killed in the attack.

According to a ministry spokeswoman, a police officer was shot and seriously injured in the exchange of fire near Schwedenplatz.

"We are with all possible forces in action," wrote the police on Twitter, calling on people to avoid all public places in the city.

Videos broadcast by private broadcaster "Oe24" showed a masked shooter who fired at least two shots in the street. Another video showed a large pool of blood outside a restaurant.

Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community of Vienna, said that it is not clear whether the city temple was one of the targets. "What is certain, however, is that both the synagogue in Seitenstettengasse and the office building at the same address were no longer in operation and closed at the time of the first shots," he wrote on Twitter.

With inputs from IANS