Daesh Claims Vienna Attacks

By Staff, Agencies

Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] claimed responsibility for the recent deadly shooting attacks in the Austrian capital of Vienna, which left four people dead and nearly two dozen others injured.

The terror group claimed responsibility in a statement on the messaging application Telegram on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

The statement was accompanied by a picture of a man, identified as “Abu Dagnah Al-Albany,” whom it said had attacked crowds in central Vienna with a pistol and machine gun before being shot dead by Austrian police.

A video of the militant was also posted minutes later in which he was pledging allegiance to Daesh, while speaking Arabic.

The shootings took place in six different locations in central Vienna on Monday.

Austrian authorities did not rule out the possibility that more shooters may have been involved.

Austria’s Interior Minister Karl Nehammer had announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the militant who was shot dead sympathized with Daesh. Nehammer identified the terrorist as 20-year-old Kujtim Fejzulai, who held dual Austrian and Macedonian nationality.

On Tuesday, SWAT teams raided Fejzulai’s house.

More than a dozen people have also been arrested in connection with the shootings. Security forces raided 18 different locations and made 14 arrests during a massive dragnet on Tuesday.