Yaakov Frenkel (R)
Yaakov Frenkel (R)Courtesy

Yaakov Frenkel, a member of the Jewish Council in Vienna, told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday that Vienna is still reeling from the serious terrorist attack it experienced on Monday.

"For many, many years Vienna has been considered one of the safest cities in the world. This thing surprised us all, as well as the security services," said Frenkel.

The Jewish community, even though it was not directly targeted by the terrorists, is very concerned, he acknowledged.

"Jews, especially in the case of an Islamist terrorist incident, are afraid. Our institutions are completely closed and the community recommends that we simply not leave our homes. There is an understanding on the part of state authorities that all schools are closed. This situation is even more stressful when you are Jewish."

Frenkel pointed out that the level of alertness around the Jewish community is also very high. "We are waiting for an investigation by the security forces and the security bodies of the Jewish community will cooperate. The current level of security, both in the city itself and in the community, is at its highest. I believe that certain measures will be taken, but it is too early to determine what will be done."

He noted that the investigations have shown that the terrorists did not arbitrarily choose the time of the attack.

"Tonight, a lockdown was supposed to start and the terrorists' plan was probably to carry out an attack the night before the lockdown when people go out to breathe for a bit before staying at home for a long time. What we understand about yesterday's attack was that they chose that particular evening in order to maximize their power to murder.”