Shocking night in Vienna

Ottakring explosion: police give first details

(Bild: APA/Max Slovencik, Screenshot/Leserreporter, Krone KREATIV)

On Wednesday morning, the police announced the first details of the night-time operation in Vienna-Ottakring. According to the report, Cobra made use of their firearms. The victim is presumably the tenant of the apartment, a Serb (47). A witness video (above) shows the violent explosion.

As reported, there was a large-scale operation by the emergency services on Wednesday night. The reason for the operation was that a suspect had thrown several objects out of his apartment, whereupon it was opened and shots were fired.

Street shaken by violent explosion
The Thaliastraße/Klausgasse area was then rocked by a violent explosion. The "Krone" has a video from an eyewitness - see above. The area had to be cordoned off on a large scale. The exact cause of the detonation is still unclear.

The area was shaken by a violent explosion.(Bild: Screenshot/Leserreporter)

The situation was largely unclear during the night, but the emergency services were deployed in large numbers.(Bild: APA/Max Slovencik)

Special forces were hoisted to the scene using a turntable ladder.(Bild: APA/Max Slovencik)

The area around the apartment was cordoned off during the night.(Bild: APA/Max Slovencik)

According to the police, the suspect who died was a 47-year-old Serbian. It is said that he attacked the officers. It is still unclear whether the man was killed by the gunshot or whether the explosion was ultimately fatal. A knife and a blank-firing pistol were seized at the scene.

Did not want to speak to the police
"They wanted to talk to him through the front door," said Gerhard Winkler, head of the investigation service at the Vienna State Criminal Police Office, describing the results. But the attempts failed and the man showed no interest in talking to the officers.

"On the contrary, he turned up the TV so that he didn't have to talk to his colleagues," said the head of the investigation service. A short time later, the apartment was opened and then the disaster took its course. The victim is to undergo an autopsy on Wednesday.

The Vienna police also announced on Wednesday that a total of 19 people were slightly injured in the incident. Twelve people were discharged to home care and seven people were hospitalized. Several police officers were among the injured. Fortunately, there were no other fatalities; Winkler spoke of "almost a miracle" in this context, as the explosion was very powerful.

Road still closed
Local residents are still in shock after the night of horror. On Wednesday morning, the fire department was still in action and parts of the road had to remain closed. At the beginning, it was still uncertain whether the building was in danger of collapsing. It was also unclear for many residents whether they would be able to return to their homes. According to Jürgen Figerl, spokesman for Vienna's professional fire department, there was no overall risk of collapse for the affected building in Klausgasse. However, the fire department had to secure parts of the building in the morning by flattening it.