Police in the Austrian capital, Vienna, were deployed in the city center following reports of a shooting near a synagogue. The authorities confirmed there were “persons injured” in what seemed to be a terror attack.

Police vans during deployment in Vienna (Leonhard Foeger/REUTERS)

Police in the Austrian capital, Vienna, said on Monday they had launched a major operation in the city center after reports of a shooting near a synagogue.

In a tweet, Vienna’s police department said there had been shots fired in central Vienna, with “multiple” people being injured.

Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said that the shootings appeared to be a terror attack. He told public broadcaster ORF that several people had been injured and probably some killed. According to Nehammer, there were likely several attackers involved.

According to earlier reports by the Austrian news agency APA, citing the Interior Ministry, one attacker was dead and a police officer had been shot and seriously wounded. One suspected attacker was possibly on the run, the ministry was cited as saying. Some reports have spoken of a suspect being arrested.

The police reported that there had been several exchanges of fire. They also called on the public to refrain from posting videos or photos on the internet, saying they posed a danger both to police and civilians.

The head of Austria’s Jewish community, Oskar Deutsch, said on Twitter that it was not clear whether the city’s synagogue had been the target of the shots fired, but that it and adjoining offices were closed at the time.

More to follow…