Hungary stands by Austria after terrorist attack

President János Áder has sent a letter of condolences to Alexander Van der Bellen, his Austrian counterpart, over the deadly armed attack in central Vienna on Monday evening.

Heavily armed men opened fire around 8 pm in downtown Vienna on Monday, killing at least four and injuring many. By Tuesday morning, the police have killed one attacker and were on the hunt after at least one more.

“I was shocked to learn about the terrorist attack carried out in Vienna yesterday evening,” the president said in his letter. He said he was deeply saddened by “the barbarous attack that claimed several innocent lives and left others seriously injured”.

“Our hearts go out to the Austrian people and trust that the authorities will arrest the culprits within a short period of time,” Áder said.

The tragic event calls for strengthening the commitment of European member states to cooperate in fighting terrorism, Áder said.

He extended his condolences to the families of the victims and wished those injured a speedy recovery.

• Shootings in central Vienna appear to be terrorist attack, says minister – VIDEO, PHOTO

Foreign Minister Szijjártó

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Austria in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Vienna on Monday, and said that Europe should “sound the alarm” and stand together in the face of the “appalling wave of terrorism” threatening it.

In a Facebook post published after a series of shootings killed at least three people in Vienna on Monday evening, Szijjártó said “we must realise that Europe’s security, and with it the European lifestyle, is under attack.”

“Europe and the European nations have to defend themselves against the senseless aggression to avoid great calamity,” Szijjártó said.