‘Grinning’ Syrian man, 23, ‘stabs 14-year-old boy to dying and wounds 4 others in knife rampage’ in Austria
A 14-year-old boy has been knifed to death after a Syrian man randomly stabbed passersby in the Austrian city of Villach today, as four others sustained injuries.
The horror unfolded just before 4 pm in the city center, near the main square, before the 23-year-old suspect was arrested.
Spine-chilling images of the arrest show a grinning man with his index finger raised as police officers surround him with weapons.
Two men are said to have sustained minor injuries, while two other men suffered from more serious wounds.
The suspect is said to be a Syrian national with legal residence in Austria, according to police.
He had been living in a center for asylum seekers and was not known to police.
A 42-year old man who works for a food delivery company, witnessed the incident from his car.
He drove toward the suspect and helped to prevent things from getting worse, police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio told Austria’s public broadcaster ORF.
A 23-year-old man stabbed 5 people in Austria, killing 1 in what police described as a random attack. Spine-chilling images of the arrest show a grinning man
Police said it wasn’t clear whether the suspect acted on his own and a manhunt is currently underway for any other potential suspects.
Police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio said he could not confirm whether the incident was a terrorist attack.
He added that police were investigating the attacker’s personal background. ‘We have to wait until we get secure information,’ he said.
Peter Kaiser, the governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia, spoke of the horrific attack in an X post this evening.
‘The unbelievable atrocity in Villach must have the harshest consequences! Anyone who lives in Carinthia, in Austria, must respect the law. Anyone who violates this must face the harshest consequences’, he wrote.
Erwin Angerer, a lawmaker for the far-right Freedom Party, said his party had been warning about the situation in Austria as a result of the country’s ‘disastrous asylum policy.’
Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner was expected in Villach on Sunday morning.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
