NEW YORK 3 November 2020 Pan-Albanian Federation of America VATRA is deeply saddened by the terror attack in Vienna on November 2nd., leaving five dead and 22 others wounded. Among the dead is a 20-year-old Albanian Muslim from Struga, Northern Macedonia. Three members of the Austrian law enforcement who responded to the attack were of Albanian origin, including Doruntina Miroci, the niece of Kosova’s ambassador to Germany.

This tragic event becomes more painful for us by the fact that a perpetrator of this tragedy is a 20-year-old Austrian man from the town of St. Poelten, 33 miles west of Vienna, whose parents are from North Macedonia.

VATRA members express their deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and strongly condemns this cowardly act that violates life, human values, and the traditions of the Albanian people.

The Albanian nation is eternally grateful to Austria and the Austrian people for the role it played in recognizing and defending the independence of Albania in 1912. We welcome the note of caution by the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz: “This is no fight between Christians and Muslims, or between Austrians and migrants. This is a fight between civilization and barbarism.”

VATRA urges all families to pay close attention to their children and the role social media plays in their upbringing to avoid falling prey to extremist groups and radical sects that damage religious harmony and spoil the image of the Albanian nation.

Chairman of VATRA Mr. Ahmet Xhafo