In a startling incident, a 23-year-old man stabbed six passersby in southern Austria on Saturday in what police said was a random attack that left a 14-year-old dead and five others injured. The officials said that the attack took place in the city of Villach and the suspect was detained thereafter. The suspect is a Syrian national with legal residence in Austria, they said.
Rainer Dionisio, the police spokesperson said that the motive was not immediately known. He added that police were investigating the attacker's personal background. "We have to wait until we get secure information," he said.
The officials further added that a 42-year-old man, who works for a food delivery company, witnessed the shocking incident from his car. He drove toward the suspect and helped to prevent things from getting worse, Dionisio told Austria's public broadcaster ORF.
What did Governor says?
The victims were all men, with two seriously injured and two sustaining minor injuries, police said. Later on Saturday, police said a fifth person, also a man, was injured in the attack. Peter Kaiser, the governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia, expressed his condolences to the family of the 14-year-old victim.
"This outrageous atrocity must be met with harsh consequences. I have always said with clarity and unambiguously: Those who live in Carinthia, in Austria, have to respect the law and adjust to our rules and values."
'First-class failure of system': Far-right leader
Far-right leader Herbert Kickl said on the X social media platform that he is "appalled by the horrific act in Villach" and wished the family of the 14-year-old victim who was killed in the attack "much strength."
"At the same time, I am angry — angry at those politicians who have allowed stabbings, rapes, gang wars and other capital crimes to become the order of the day in Austria. This is a first-class failure of the system, for which a young man in Villach has now had to pay with his life," Kickl added.
"From Austria to the EU — the wrong rules are in force everywhere. Nobody is allowed to challenge them, everything is declared sacrosanct," he said, adding that his party had outlined what he viewed as necessary changes to immigration laws in his party's election platform. "We need a rigorous crackdown on asylum and must not continue to import conditions like those in Villach."
(With AP Inputs)