Albanian from North Macedonia one of Vienna terrorist shooters

Gazeta Express

03/11/2020 10:54

A 20-year-old of Albanian roots was one of the gunmen shot dead in the Vienna attacks on Monday. The editor of Vienna’s Falter newspaper, Florian Klenk, said in Twitter that the assailant who was killed was known to domestic intelligence agencies.

Kurtin S. had “Albanian roots”, but his parents were originally from North Macedonia, Klenk said without giving details of the source for that information. Police thought he was not capable of planning an attack in Vienna, Klenk added.

The assailant killed by police, and other potential gunmen, attacked six locations in central Vienna on Monday evening, starting outside the main synagogue.

In an early morning televised news conference, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer repeated calls for the public to stay off the streets. Nehammer said police had shot dead one attacker, a man wearing a fake explosives belt, whom authorities have identified as an Islamic State sympathiser.

Police confirmed on Tuesday that three civilians – two men and a woman – were killed in the attacks, with at least 15 others wounded, including a police officer. Broadcaster ORF later said a fourth civilian, a woman, had died. Seven of the injured were in a life-threatening condition, the APA news agency said.

The attack has been condemned by Kosovo prime minister Avdullah Hoti, president Hashim Thaci saying that Kosovo stands by the Austrian allies and the international community on the fight against terrorism. /GazetaExpress/