VIENNA: One person was killed and several people were injured on Monday following gunfire in the Austrian capital Vienna.

Oskar Deutsch, the head of the Jewish community in Vienna, said the shooting took place in the street where the city’s main synagogue is located, but that it wasn’t clear whether the house of worship had been targeted.

The synagogue was already closed at the time of the shooting, Deutsch tweeted.

Austrian news agency APA quoted the country’s interior ministry as saying that one attacker had been killed and another could be on the run.

Police said the operation in the centre of the city was ongoing and urged people to avoid all open spaces and public transport.

There are several injured persons, police tweeted. “We are on site with all available forces. Please avoid all public squares in the city.”

Police added that the exact circumstances of the incident were still being determined.

Austrian public broadcaster ORF cited witnesses as saying several shots were fired shortly after 1900 GMT.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2020