1981 Vienna synagogue attack
{{short description|Armed terrorist attacks in Vienna, Austria}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = 1981 Vienna synagogue attack
| partof =
| image =
| caption =
| location = Innere Stadt, Vienna, Austria
| map = {{Infobox mapframe|marker=building|zoom=16|coord={{coord|48.211667|N|16.376667|E|display=inline}}}}
| coordinates = {{coord|48|12|38|N|16|22|37|E|region:AT_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| date = {{start date|1981|08|29|df=y}}
| time = 20:00
| timezone = UTC+01:00
| type = Mass shooting, grenade attack
| motive = Palestinian nationalism
| target = Civilians
| fatalities = 2
| perpetrators = Marwan Hasan and Hesham Mohammed Rajeh
| injuries = 18
}}
The 1981 Vienna synagogue attack was a terror attack that occurred 29 August 1981. The incident took place in the Stadttempel of Vienna, Austria carried out by two terrorists of the Abu Nidal Organization.{{Cite web|url=https://arab.news/6ubhn|title=At least 4 killed, including gunman, in Vienna attacks|date=2 November 2020|website=Arab News}}
Attack
The mass shooting and grenade attack killed two people and wounded 18 others attending a Bar mitzvah service at the Stadttempel in Vienna on 29 August 1981.[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/22/world/around-the-world-palestinians-get-life-in-austrian-slayings.html Palestinians get life in Austrian Slayings], The New York Times, 22 January 1982 Two terrorists entered the 155-year-old Israelite Temple in the central Vienna area of Seitenstettengasse, posing as Jews. The terrorists then came into a fire exchange with the two already wounded policemen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1981/08/31/archive/terrorists-strike-in-vienna-kill-two-wound-18-in-an-attack-on-a-synagogue|title=Terrorists Strike in Vienna; Kill Two, Wound 18 in an Attack on a Synagogue|date=31 August 1981}}
A bodyguard of a local Jewish business owner arrived quickly at the synagogue and pointed his gun directly at one of the perpetrators, shooting him and subdued the other. Police cordoned off the entire area and began a house to house search for possible accomplices and hidden bombs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/147611|title=Austria Remembers Attack on Main Vienna Synagogue - Jewish World|website=Israel National News|date=6 September 2011 }}
According to early reports, three terrorists had been involved in the attack. The Austrian police later said this was not correct and that the only two who had stormed the synagogue were involved. The police were detaining a third person who was arrested in a Vienna apartment shortly after the attack, but no details were available regarding the suspect. Two civilians, a 25-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man were shot and killed in the attack, and several others were critically wounded, amongst two of the policemen.
In connection with the attack, the two Palestinian assailants, Marwan Hasan, 25 years old, of Jordan, and Hesham Mohammed Rajeh, 21, born in Iraq, were convicted of terrorist charges and attempted murder. Rajeh was also indicted for the 1 May murder of Heinz Nittel, head of the Austrian-Israel Society. Both men received life sentences.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Palestinian militancy attacks in the 1980s}}
{{Attacks on synagogues}}
{{Massacres or pogroms against Jews}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vienna synagogue attack}}
Category:Palestinian terrorist incidents in Austria
Category:Terrorist incidents in Europe in 1981
Category:1981 crimes in Austria
Category:Antisemitism in Austria
Category:20th-century attacks on Jewish institutions
Category:August 1981 in Europe
Category:Antisemitic attacks and incidents in Europe
Category:1981 mass shootings in Europe
Category:1981 murders in Europe
Category:1981 murders in Austria
Category:Grenade attacks in Europe
Category:Mass shootings in Austria
Category:Attacks on religious buildings and structures in Europe