Monday 25 May 2009

Armed Men Attack Sikh Temple In Vienna

At least 16 people have been wounded after armed men attacked a preacher and worshippers at a Sikh temple in Vienna.

The scene of an armed attack on a Sikh temple in Vienna.

Medics at the scene of the shooting

The Austrian national news agency APA quoted police spokesman Michael Takacs as saying all suspects had been arrested after the incident in the Austrian capital.

Local authorities and witnesses initially said the attackers were from two feuding families.

But they later said it involved members of several rival Sikh temples in Vienna who have been at odds for several years.

Police said the violence began when six people burst into the temple in Vienna's Rudolfsheim district during a religious service.

They attacked the preacher and other worshippers, one of them firing a gun and others wielding knives.

At least 16 people suffered gunshot and stab wounds in the violence - nine of whom were seriously hurt - before the attackers were subdued.