Czech authorities tighten security at Jewish sites following Vienna attack

Security has been tightened at significant Jewish buildings in the Czech Republic in reaction to an attack near a synagogue in Vienna last night, Czech police have tweeted.

These measures are purely preventive, they add.

Interior Minister Jan Hamáček had previously announced that random border checks were also introduced in reaction.

PM Andrej Babiš (ANO) wrote on social media that he would like to express solidarity to all people in Austria and PM Sebastian Kurz.

Czech diplomacy has no information about Czech citizens being harmed by the attack.

“The embassy is learning information and checking whether the attack had affected Czech citizens. I cannot provide such information for the time being,” Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (CSSD) wrote to CTK.

“The horrifying news from Vienna, shooting in its centre has resulted in several people injured and possibly dead as well, according to the Austrian Interior Ministry,” Hamacek tweeted.

“Czech police are in touch with their Austrian counterparts, and measures have been taken at border crossings with the Czech Republic.”

Three civilians and one of the attackers, who the police shot dead, died during the terrorist attack in the center of Vienna after 8 p.m. on Monday night, an Austrian Interior Ministry spokesman said, adding that other people were injured in the incident at six places in the city.

Fifteen people have been hospitalised so far, the APA Austrian news agency reported, referring to paramedics.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer confirmed that this was a terrorist attack.

Source: Expats