The Ba'ath regime, which still saw itself as successful and believed it had managed to destroy the greatest revolution in Kurdistan, attempted to assassinate the leaders of Kurdistan, including Masoud Barzani who was both the son of Mustafa Barzani the leader of the Kurdish national liberation movement, and also, after his father's illness, together with Idris Barzani, managed the affairs of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdish liberation movement.
Masoud Barzani who was in the United States with President Mustafa Barzani his father, in 1978, the affairs of the revolution required him to meet with the leadership to discuss the affairs of the revolution, and for this purpose, he visited Europe. During that visit, at the same time, a delegation of the Iraqi government led by Barzan Tikriti was in Vienna. Although it is not clear whether they went only to assassinate Masoud Barzani and used some government business as an excuse, or whether they knew from there that Masoud Barzani was there and decided to seize the opportunity and tried to assassinate him. President Masoud Barzani says in the book 'Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement' that Barzan and several others had come specifically to kill me, because in those years the Iraqi government had a full intention to eliminate me.
Therefore, the best source to rely on in this regard is the book 'Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement', because that terrorist incident that occurred happened to the author of the book himself. The narration of the event by President Masoud Barzani is as follows:
In December 1978, we visited Vienna from London and accommodation was secured for us at the branch headquarters. Later, I decided to visit Paris on January 8, 1979, to see Imam Khomeini. I wanted to meet Faris Bawa . On the evening of January 8, 1979, Hama Reza and Azad Barwari informed me that we should visit Pirot Ahmed's house together. On the way, I told them I intended to see Faris. They insisted a lot that we should turn back, but they did not listen to me. Kak Pirot had a room in an apartment, and he was not aware of our arrival until we reached the door.
President Masoud Barzani asks Pirot to tell Faris Bawa to come to him, but Pirot does not tell Faris in any way that Masoud Barzani is here and wants to see you, but says I have a message from a friend and he comes too.
Barzani continues in his narration of the assassination attempt and writes this:
After the meeting ended, I prepared to leave and told Faris let's go, but he swore at me to hold on for a moment, let the brothers take a look outside, then we will go. When the brothers went down, a car from the Iraqi embassy was waiting for them outside, two people came up to them and thought that Azad Barwari was me and put their pistol to his head, but fortunately it did not fire and misfired.
The President's companions were able to save themselves from the terrorists, and one of the companions had a sound pistol, and after firing it, it created fear among the terrorists and they were forced to leave the place. They also did not know that Masoud Barzani was upstairs, otherwise they might not have given up so easily.
After the incident, the police came and Barzani filed a complaint against the Iraqi government, and the Austrian government provided him with guards, and then they were waiting for a plane in the transit hall of Athens, Barzan Tikriti, Saddam's brother, and ten or twelve others who were with him wanted to return to Iraq.
President Masoud Barzani recounts that in 1991, during negotiations with the Iraqi government, he reminded Barzan of this at a dinner, and he did not deny the incident or his participation in that terrorist act.
Source:1. Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Part Four, Volume One, 1975-1990 Gulan Revolution, (Erbil - Roxana Printing House - 2021).