What we know about the violent attack on Vienna
Armed police stand guard in Vienna in early November. Source.
On November 3, four hours before the scheduled nationwide COVID-19 shut-down, shots rang out in Vienna, Austria. A shooter opened fire near Vienna’s main synagogue, an area with many bars and restaurants sometimes deemed the “Bermuda Triangle,” around 8pm, injuring more than 20 people and killing four. The victims include an elderly man and woman, a male passerby and a waitress. The shooter carried an automatic rifle, handgun and machete, while adorned with a fake explosive vest and white coveralls as he ran through the city seeming to shoot at random.
Austria’s Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, spoke to the nation before midnight stating “We have become a victim of a disgusting terror attack that is still going on.” Initially, the attack was thought to have been perpetrated by multiple people, but eventually Police came to say there was no evidence of a second shooter. The trams and subways were stopped while people sheltered in place in restaurant kitchens. Eventually, people were escorted out of the city and told to stay home. School was cancelled for children on Tuesday throughout the city.
The attacker, a 20-year-old, Austrian-North Macedonian dual citizen named Kujtim Fejzulai had been previously sentenced to 22 months in jail after attempting to join the Islamic State in Syria by trying to cross the Turkish border into Syria, and then being deported back to Austria. Fejzulai was released early in December 2019 due to his young age and supposed deradicalization. Police searched 18 properties and detained 14 people for questioning. The attacker was shot dead by police after 9 minutes.
On Tuesday, the Islamic State (IS) group took credit for the Vienna attack. Their social media branch posted a photo of the shooter praising him for being a “soldier of the caliphate.” Because IS claimed credit a day later, there is some suspicion about the amount of coordination that went into the attack. In the past, IS has taken credit for attacks individuals perpetrated on their own, and it is unclear if IS had any hand in this attack. The attacker is said to have spent time at a notorious mosque, and had flagged the attention of Austria’s domestic intelligence agency for allegedly following jihadist ideology.
The Vienna attack follows earlier violence propagated by Islamist extremists like the late October beheading of a teacher and the knife attacks which took place in France. This attack is different as the attacker’s ties to IS are existent, but not strong. His history of not displaying any signs of radicalization, and lack of family radicalization leads to some question marks. There have been no clear motives that have been uncovered yet either.
Vienna is not a stranger to terrorist attacks. In 1975, the city witnessed an attack when holding a conference for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Three people were killed and 60 hostages were taken. Additionally, a leader of the Austrian Socialist party was assassinated by a militant Palestinanian group in 1981. After Christmas in 1985, gunmen stormed a check-in desk at the airport killing three and wounding many. Most recently, a series of mail-bombs were sent between 1993-1997 with the goal of reunifying German speaking areas.
Leaders across the world shared their condolences with Austria. The French President, Emmanuel Macron shared a tweet in German about understanding the terror and shock of terror attacks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her sympathies, but also urged not to “give way to hatred that is meant to split our societies.” On the eve of the election in the United States, both President Trump, and then challenger Joe Biden also expressed support for Austria.
On the following Tuesday, Church bells rang at noon to honor the victims of the shooting and the city of Vienna remained quiet and empty.