– Stay inside – VG

The attack began in the 20s at Seitenstettengasse in the center of the Austrian capital Vienna, where several suspects armed with rifles began firing around them.

According to the news agency AP The shooting took place in a lively area where people enjoyed one last night outside before a new corona shutdown was to take effect at midnight.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told broadcaster ORF that it was probably a terrorist attack committed by several people.

The country’s Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz also refers to the shooting episodes as a terrorist attack.

– I want to thank all the emergency services who risk their lives, especially today, for our safety. The police will act clearly against the perpetrators behind this horrific terrorist attack, he writes on Twitter.

Please stay indoors

The police in Vienna state that one person has been confirmed killed, and that a suspected perpetrator has also been shot and killed by the police.

Vienna’s mayor Michael Ludwig says according to the news agency AP that an additional 15 people have been transported to hospital, and that the condition is serious for seven of them. According to Reuters, the head of the city’s hospital says that several of the wounded have been shot, while others are said to have been injured after a fight.

Police were quick to ask people to stay indoors after the first reports of shootings, and they have also asked people to avoid sharing videos and photos of what is happening on social media.

During the evening on Monday, armed police asked pedestrians and cyclists to leave the city center, writes NTB. Cars were also asked to turn around. Helicopters were used, and officials shouted for people to pull away from the streets and into buildings.

Police say Monday night that public transport no longer stops in the city center.

– Stay inside and away from public places, they write on Twitter at 23.20.

Interior Minister Nehammer confirms that the police operation is still going on night until Tuesday, and that the suspected terrorists are still on the move.

Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz states that the country’s army is deployed to assist in standing guard to relieve the police.

– The whole country’s thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. I want to express my deepest condolences, he writes.

Is in Vienna: – It is quite uncomfortable

Kenan Buhic (22) from Stavanger says that he was on his way to Stephansplatz, which is a ten minute walk from Schwedenplatz, when he heard over the loudspeaker system on the subway that several lines were closed.

He got off and continued towards the square on foot. He turned when he received a link from VG, heard sirens and saw people starting to pull away.

Buhic, who usually studies in Germany, says that he and a friend are now staying in a bar one and a half kilometers from Stephansplatz.

– It goes well, but is quite uncomfortable. It’s damn weird, says Buhic.

Erna Solberg: – Must stand together against hatred and violence

The attack comes shortly after the attack on a church in Nice, France. French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron writes on Twitter that the French share the Austrians’ shock and grief.

– After France, a peaceful country has been attacked. This is our Europe. We will not give in, he writes.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg offers the following condolences on Twitter:

– Cruel attacks in Vienna. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the people of Austria. We must stand together against hatred and violence.

It is unclear whether the synagogue was the target

There is a Jewish community close by where at least one of the shootings took place. It is unclear whether this building was the target.

According to the leader of the Israeli religious community in Austria, Oskar Deutsch, the synagogue and offices at Seitenstettengasse were closed when the shooting started.

Although it is not clear that the ongoing attack in Vienna is aimed at the synagogue in the city, the Danish police have nevertheless tightened security around the synagogues in Copenhagen. Several streets in the surrounding area are blocked off.

– We have taken some preventive security measures and raised the emergency preparedness, says Deputy Police Inspector Rasmus Agerskov Schultz to the Danish news agency Ritzau.

The police in Oslo tell NTB that they follow the attack in Vienna continuously.

– The synagogue in Oslo is an object with which the police already have a good dialogue in everyday life. We assess the situation continuously and have increased our vigilance towards vulnerable objects, says operations manager Line Skott.