Police in Vienna say a sniper has shot 17 people with an air rifle in the last month. No one has been seriously injured, but the random attacks have the residents of the Austrian capital worried.
Deutsche Welle Radio reports 14 people have been injured.
A policeman dressed in civilian clothes was hit in the neck and needed emergency surgery.
But the other victims have fared better so far and no one has been seriously injured.
Deutsche Welle Radio says the sniper appears to be choosing his victims randomly. They range from a teenage girl to a senior citizen, people in cars or walking on the street.
People in almost every district of the city have been targeted. It's that arbitrariness that scares Vienna residents the most.
Police say the sniper's weapon of choice is an air rifle, which is a gun that propels projectiles, such as pellets or BBs, by compressed air or carbon dioxide.
Whether the shooter is a single person or has an accomplice is unclear, as is a possible motive for the attacks.
"It's about gaining power," speculated court psychiatrist Sigrun Rossmanith.
"Especially the idea of shooting unseen, from behind, to choose who to take and who to shoot, has been linked in similar cases to a feeling of omnipotence."
In the meantime, a reward of 20,000 euros ($US27,148) has been offered for valuable information. Police are already looking for a small, lightly colored car.
