Four years after the Vienna terrorist attack: remind and commemorate the victims

Four years after the Vienna terrorist attack: remind and commemorate the victims

Four years ago, on November 2, 2020, a devastating terrorist attack happened in the downtown Vienna, which cost the lives of four people and seriously injured more. The 20-year-old Kujtim F. caused fear and horror in just nine shocking minutes, while he shot indiscriminately and hit numerous people in local gastronomy.

On this warm November evening there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the city. Many Viennese took the last opportunity to celebrate with friends in one of the many Shanigents before the impending "Lockdown Light" would restrict public life again. Tragically, this should be the last evening for some guests that they would spend in public.

unnoticed danger and fatal shots

around 8 p.m. the fatal events started on Desider-Friedmann-Platz. Kujtim F., dressed in white and armed, opened the fire and immediately met a 21-year-old man from Korneuburg. He then continued to Judengasse, where he continued to target innocent people and targeted a 24-year-old student who succumbed to her injuries in the hospital a little later.

The attacks continued and the attacker directed his weapon against a 44-year-old woman who also could not escape her injuries. The police arrived shortly after the start of the shots, but the perpetrator escaped, which led to a chaotic confusion: During his escape there was a further change of shooting in which a 39-year-old man was killed while a 28-year-old police officer was seriously injured.

The city was frightened and alert. Around 1,000 police officers were mobilized to stabilize the situation. The city center was sealed off just minutes after the first shots, and the people in the restaurants and bars were forced to hide from the windows. A dramatic video that was course on social media shows a passer -by who insulted the attacker with the Viennese expression "Schleich di, du Oaschloch", which became a winged word in the population.

consequences and commemorate

After only nine minutes the horror was largely ended; Kujtim F. fell victim to the police officers. In the days after the attack, which was staged as a single offender, his living space was searched and raids were carried out in several federal states.

The legal process against the backers of the attack was over several years. In February 2022, the respective convicts were pronounced: two men received life punishments, while the others were also punished for their role in organizing the attack. A comprehensive legal discussion about the connections to terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) led to a process that ended in April 2023 with increased punishments.

In February 2021, a memorial stone from Hartberger granite was unveiled at the scene in February 2021. The grief and the shock of this incredible violence remain alive in the memory of many Viennese citizens.

Some details about the incident and the subsequent legal measures are on www.meinbezirk.at treated in detail.