The Vienna attack is a bitter blow for Sebastian Kurz

With Austria’s latest Covid lockdown due to begin at midnight, Viennese citizens were enjoying a final night of freedom. And then the shooting started. The temperature was warm for this time of year, and people were sitting at pavement tables outside the bars and cafes, enjoying the balmy weather and obeying the coronavirus guidelines. What followed was what the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, called a ‘repulsive terror attack.’

So far, four civilians are reported dead – two men and two women. Seventeen more are in hospital with serious injuries, including one policeman. Seven of these injuries are reported as critical. An attacker was shot dead by police. At least one other gunman is believed to still be at large. Schools in Vienna are closed, and the authorities have urged people to stay at home.

Austria’s interior minister, Karl Neuhammer, stated that the dead attacker ‘sympathised with the militant terrorist group Isis.’ Video material has been seized from the dead man’s home.