Iran calls for probe into attack on Vienna envoy residence

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday called for an investigation into a “suspicious” attempt to attack the residence of Tehran’s ambassador to Vienna with knife.

Bahram Qassemi said the assailant was about 26 years old and apparently possessed Austrian nationality, and there’s no information on his identity and motivation for the act.

Austrian media said the knife attacker was killed by police Sunday night outside the Iranian ambassador’s residence in Vienna’s Hietzing district as he tried to get past a security guard and enter the building, Press TV reported.

Austrian police spokesman Harald Moeser said that the assailant “died on the spot” after the guard shot him four times, after pepper spray failed to stop him.

Qassemi added that Iranian authorities in Tehran and Vienna remain in contact with Austrian officials for more details on the incident.

The spokesman pointed to his communication with the Iranian ambassador to Austria, noting that no damage has been inflicted on the residence of the envoy as the result of the attack.

Qassemi also said there are rumors that the assailant was a foreigner with Austrian citizenship but reiterated that “we have asked the Austrian government to look into the matter as soon as possible and pay more attention to the safety of Iranian diplomatic sites in the country.”

The attack came several hours after Iranian Ambassador to London Hamid Baeidinejad announced that he had been threatened with death by a member of an extremist cult, which recently carried out an attack on the Islamic Republic’s Embassy in London.

A number of attackers scaled the wall of Iran’s Embassy building in London on Friday and took down the Iranian flag.

Iran on Saturday summoned the British ambassador to Tehran over the attack on its diplomatic mission in London.