A 14-year-old boy lost his life, and four others were injured on Saturday in a knife attack in southern Austria. Police reported that a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker was arrested as a suspect.
“A man randomly attacked pedestrians with a knife” in the city of Villach, police spokesman Rainer Dionisio told AFP, adding that “one victim, a 14-year-old boy, died.”
The incident occurred around 4:00 PM (local time) in downtown Villach, in the province of Carinthia, about 350 kilometers south of Vienna. Two of the victims sustained serious injuries, while the other two had minor wounds.
According to witnesses, a food delivery driver intervened by hitting the attacker with his vehicle, allowing for his immediate arrest. The suspect, who holds a valid residence permit, suffered only minor injuries.
Authorities are still investigating the motives behind the attack and whether the assailant acted alone or had accomplices. So far, no prior criminal record has been found in his name.
Carinthia’s governor, Peter Kaiser, condemned the attack and called for severe measures against the perpetrator. Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ) has also called for stricter asylum policies and the deportation of foreign criminals.
This incident comes just two days after a mass vehicular attack in Munich, Germany, where a two-year-old girl and her mother were killed after being struck by a car. In that case, police are investigating possible extremist motivations.
