British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed shock over Monday’s terrorist attack in Vienna and vowed to stand united with Austria.
“I am deeply shocked by the terrible attacks in Vienna tonight. The UK’s thoughts are with the people of Austria—we stand united with you against terror,” Johnson wrote on Twitter.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also voiced his shock at the attacks, and said the UK stands ready “to support the Austrian government and people in any way we can.”
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour party, said, “All our thoughts are with those affected by the terrorist attack in Austria.”
“Vienna is a home for diplomacy, culture, and openness. Its attackers will be remembered only for their hatred and their failure to divide people,” he said on Twitter.
Gunmen attacked six locations in central Vienna on Monday evening shortly after 8 p.m. local time, starting outside the main synagogue in the city centre. People were out in the city for the last night before a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was expected to go into effect.
At least one Islamist terrorist was suspected as having been involved in the attack, Austria’s Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said at an early morning news conference on Tuesday.
Nehammer said that initial investigations suggest the suspect was a sympathizer of the ISIS terrorist group. The suspected attacker was wearing an explosives belt that turned out to be fake during the attack, and was later shot to death by police, he said.
Authorities are still trying to determine whether further attackers may be on the run.
Austria’s capital had so far been spared the kind of deadly terrorist attacks that have struck Paris, London, Berlin, and Brussels, among others, in recent years.
Condolences have come in from around the world, with top officials from the European Union, France, Norway, Greece, and the United States expressing their shock at the attacks.
“These evil attacks against innocent people must stop. The U.S. stands with Austria, France, and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including radical Islamic terrorists.”
