(TAN): Gunmen with automatic weapons opened fire in central Vienna when people were enjoying themselves in large numbers before Austria entered a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. The shooting took place near several popular tourist sites.
The bars and restaurants of Vienna’s “Bermuda triangle” – a network of narrow, fashionable lanes in the old city’s 1st district – were busy with diners and drinkers sitting at tables outside. The shooting began at 2000 hours on Seitenstettengasse street, a winding cobbled boulevard a block back from the Danube Canal.
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A rabbi, living directly above Vienna’s main synagogue, the Stadttempel, told reporters he saw, from his window, at least one person shooting at people sitting outside in the street. The synagogue, declared a historic monument, is the main house of prayer for the Viennese Jewish community of about 7,000 members.
One of the popular tourist attractions of the area, the Stadttempel was fitted into a block of houses and hidden from plain view of the street, because of an edict issued by Emperor Joseph II that only Roman Catholic places of worship were allowed to be built with facades fronting directly on to public streets.
The synagogue was closed when the attack happened.
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Not far away from the shooting spot is the Schwedenplatz square, another popular hopping spot for tourists. The square was also packed with revellers on the night of the incident.
The square got its name after World War I, acknowledging the help Sweden gave the new Austrian Republic. A food lover’s delight, the square is much loved for a quick snack at one of the traditional Viennese hot dog vendors. Though no shooting was reported in the square itself, a large number of police personnel were deployed there following the incident.
