VIENNA — Investigators think a sermon at a Sikh temple set off an attack that saw worshipers use a frying pan and microphone stands to fend off knife- and gun-wielding assailants who fatally shot a cleric, police said Monday.
The death sparked riots in several northern Indian cities.
Witnesses said the Vienna temple attended by lower- caste Sikhs was attacked Sunday by Sikhs from a higher caste who accused one or both of the preachers of being disrespectful of the religion’s Holy Book.
“We’re assuming that the content of the sermon was the trigger,” Werner Autericky, a high-ranking Vienna police official, told the Austria Press Agency, adding that the motive was not definitive.
The attack set off a brawl that wounded 16. Police said they found a pistol and knives at the scene. It was unclear whether some were kirpans — ceremonial daggers that might legally be worn by Sikhs in Austria.
Two preachers, Sant Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand, underwent operations for gunshot wounds. Nand died around midnight. The two clerics were visiting Vienna from India, police said.
An Indian diplomat familiar with the incident said the two men were leaders of a religious community that follows Guru Ravidas and were traveling in Europe to meet with believers.
Six suspects were in custody and four have been identified as asylum-seekers who have lived in Austria for some time.
