WORLD: Several injured in Vienna gunfire; reports one killed, synagogue attacked

Several people have been injured in central Vienna amid exchanges of gunfire, police said on Twitter on Monday, with local media reporting that a synagogue had been attacked.

“Shots fired in the Inner City district – there are persons injured – KEEP AWAY from all public places or public transport,” the police said on Twitter.

A police officer was shot and seriously injured and one person was arrested, news agency APA said, citing the Interior Ministry. One person had been killed, likely one of the attackers, local media reported.

The editor of newspaper Falter also said one person had been killed and many had been injured, citing the Interior Ministry, which was not immediately available for comment.

Jewish community leader Oskar Deutsch said on Twitter that it was not clear whether the Vienna synagogue and adjoining offices had been the target of an attack, and said they were closed at the time.

A police spokesman said a large police deployment was under way in central Vienna. A Reuters photographer said a wide area had been cordoned off.

Newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that a synagogue had been attacked. It and other media reported shots fired in the area of a nearby square, Schwedenplatz.

Vienna police urged people not to share video and photos via social media. “This jeopardizes police forces as well as the civilian population,” they said on Twitter.

(REUTERS)