Police say a man has been shot dead outside the Iranian ambassador's residence in the Austrian capital, Vienna, after he attacked a guard with a knife.
Police spokesman Harald Soeros told AFP early on March 12 that the 26-year-old assailant "died on the spot" after being shot by the guard, who was in a sentry box outside the building.
The guard suffered a wound to his upper arm in the attack, which took place just before midnight in a residential area of the capital.
The motive for the attack was not immediately known.
The spokesman said the guard initially used pepper spray before opening fire on the assailant.
A spokesman from the Defense Ministry said early indications are that the guard “acted within the rules."
The ambassador's residence is located in the Villa Blaimschein, a building that was confiscated from its Jewish owners by the Nazis during World War II.
Security has been heightened at all diplomatic missions in the city, police said.