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UPDATED: Austrian soldier killed, another injured in gunfight

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
UPDATED: Austrian soldier killed, another injured in gunfight
Austria still has mandatory military service. Photo: ALEXANDER KLEIN / AFP

An Austrian soldier was killed and another injured in a gunfight early Friday at airfield barracks just outside Vienna, the army said.

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"A guard was killed and another soldier injured in a gunfight shortly before 7 am today in the airfield barracks in Wiener Neustadt," south of the capital, army spokesman Michael Bauer wrote on Twitter.

A soldier on guard duty threatened his colleagues with an assault rifle and attacked his 54-year-old superior, who shot and killed him, Bauer told AFP.

Police are investigating the incident at the airfield barracks in Wiener Neustadt, south of the capital, Bauer added.

Austrian news agency APA cited Bauer as saying the two men had an argument before shots were fired.

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The guard shot into the air before being killed.

It is not yet clear if the injuries the guard's superior sustained were due to the gunfire, APA added.

Such fatal incidents are rare.

In 2019, an Austrian soldier -- a 31-year-old dog handler -- died when two army dogs attacked him, also in the Wiener Neustadt barracks.

READ ALSO: How does Austria’s mandatory military service work?

In 2017, a recruit shot dead a fellow rookie and was later sentenced to 15 years in prison for murder.

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