Malta’s ambassador to Austria has expressed solidarity with the country and called for calm after terror attacks in central Vienna killed three people and left over a dozen injured.

“We are completely shocked by what happened. We have to continue fighting against these terrorist attacks which are meant to scare us and to stop us from sharing the values of an open society and an open democracy,” ambassador Natasha Meli Daudey said.

Gunmen opened fire in six central locations close to Malta's embassy in Vienna on Monday night in what Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz described as a "repulsive terror attack".

Ambassador Meli Daudey confirmed that all embassy staff had left by the time the shooting occurred on Monday night and that nobody bearing a Maltese passport has reached out for assistance.

“Fortunately, nobody from our staff was working at the time, and since no Maltese expats have reached out to us it is safe to assume that as of now, no expats are counted among the victims or the injured,” Meli Daudey said on Tuesday. 

Meli Daudey noted that Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo was originally due to be in Vienna on the day of the attacks, but that his visit had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She expressed solidarity with the Austrian government and its people on behalf of Malta and also highlighted the need to continue fighting terrorism.

“We must continue fighting for what we stand for, and that should not stop. We are strong on our values, and we have to foster better understanding of these attacks and why they happen,” she added.

The ambassador also warned against premature conclusions being reached about the reasons behind the attacks, singling out how some media reports were suggesting that a nearby synagogue was the main target.

“I want to underline that this has not been confirmed. The attacks were in the vicinity but the synagogue was closed at the time.

The appeal from our end to the Maltese community in Vienna is to remain indoors and avoid the targeted areas as one of the assailants is still at large,” she added.

The ambassador urged everyone to wait for more information before condemning anyone, stating that “we do not even know whether this was a lone-wolf style attack or whether they form part of a bigger network.”