An explosion during a police operation in Vienna-Ottakring on Tuesday evening or the night into Wednesday killed the man who was the target of the operation. At least six other people were slightly injured. As police spokesman Markus Dittrich told the APA, the operation was triggered by the man who had thrown objects out of the window of an apartment in Klausgasse. The police arrived.
The operation began shortly after 9 p.m. When the emergency services arrived – the police, who called in special units as well as district officers, the professional rescue service and the professional fire service were also alerted – the unknown man was probably barricaded in the apartment. “We then tried to make contact with the man with a negotiation team,” Dittrich described the events. This failed, however, and hardly any conversation took place, although the officers spoke to the man in several languages through the front door. The investigators could not rule out the possibility that they had heard the voices of other people behind the door. All of this led to the decision to open the apartment.
What happened next on Wednesday night was initially unclear. Shots were fired and an explosion occurred. This caused a fire that was put out by the fire brigade – as the police reported on X.
It was unclear whether the explosion had been triggered by the man or whether it was a gas deflagration – possibly caused by manipulation. First, the bomb disposal team had to examine the apartment and make sure it was safe to be there. It was initially suspected that the man had stored explosives. “Fortunately, we didn’t find any,” Dittrich told APA on Wednesday night. “We did, however, confiscate a handgun.”
The lack of explosives made the theory of a gas explosion increasingly likely during the night. The investigators did not rule out the possibility that it was deliberately caused. The identity of the man and his motive remained unclear at first. During the course of the night, Dittrich was able to confirm that the suspect had been alone in the apartment. This refuted earlier rumors that it could have been a hostage situation.
“We treated six people with minor injuries, whom we also hospitalized,” Corinna Had, spokeswoman for the professional rescue service, told the APA. According to Dittrich, it is possible that emergency personnel were also among the injured.
A large area around the operation was cordoned off. “An operation is currently taking place in Klausgasse in the 16th district. The area is cordoned off on a large scale. Avoid this area and follow the instructions of the responding forces,” the police said on X (Twitter).
