The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Vienna that left at least five people dead and 22 injured on Monday but provided no evidence to support its statement.
The statement in the terrorist group’s Amaq News Agency included an image of a man referred to as Abu Dagnha al Albani who, according to France 24, allegedly conducted the attack with guns and a machete around 8 p.m. local time on Monday, across six locations in the city. The shooter was “neutralized” by the Austrian police.
The statement “hailed the death and injury of 30 ‘crusaders’ at the hands of a ‘soldier of the caliphate,'” the Independent reported.
Prior to the announcement, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer identified Fejzulai Kujtim, 20, as the attacker. Kujtim was from an Austrian town about 30 miles to the west of Vienna, according to CNN. Nehammer said Kujtim was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to 22 months in jail. He was convicted of attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. Kujtim was sentenced to 22 months in prison but was freed eight months after his sentencing on Dec. 5. As a young adult, Kujtim qualified for conditional release.
Based on current evidence, there is current “no indication of a second perpetrator,” Nehammer said. “But because the evaluation is not yet concluded, we cannot yet say conclusively how many perpetrators are responsible for the crime.”
In a televised statement, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Austrians, “This is not a conflict between Christians and Muslims or between Austrians and migrants. No, this is a fight between the many people who believe in peace and the few [who oppose it]. It is a fight between civilization and barbarism.”
