MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2020) French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday expressed support to families of victims of the terrorist attacks in Vienna, and said that France, which itself has been recently shaken by a series of violent acts, would continue to contribute to the common fight against extremism.
The attacks, designated by the Austrian authorities as terrorist acts, occurred on Monday night in six different parts of Vienna, including a synagogue in the city center. A group of unidentified gunmen opened fire in the locations, killing at least four people and wounding up to 17. One of the attackers was subsequently neutralized, while at least one perpetrator is still at large. According to the authorities, the killed gunman was a supporter of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia).
"Europe is once again touched to the heart! Our Austrian friends are struck by terrorism. My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and the Austrian people. Our support in this terrible ordeal is total. Our fight against this deadly barbarism continues," Le Drian tweeted.
His words were complemented by a comment of French Minister of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune, who also condemned the attacks and stressed that it was necessary to unite efforts to tackle radicalism.
"All of Europe last night reacted in the strongest and clearest manner in condemning this horror ... we now need European action, not just solidarity," Beaune tweeted.
He also noted that Vienna shootings reflect the threat to European values, not just "French secularism," for which Paris was blamed following terror acts on France's mainland.�
France has experienced national dismay following the brutal beheading of a French teacher on the outskirts of Paris by a radicalized Chechen teen on October 16 and an assault in a catholic church in Nice on October 29, in which an Islamist of Tunisian origin killed three people. The French government described the incidents as terrorist attacks, said that the nation was facing a growing Islamic threat and stepped up efforts to combat radicalism.
