A 23-year-old man carried out a deadly stabbing attack in Villach, Austria, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring five others, three of whom are in intensive care. The suspect was arrested minutes after the attack. Another Syrian man, a food delivery driver, reportedly intervened by hitting the attacker with his car, preventing further harm.
The suspect, a Syrian asylum seeker, had recorded himself pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and had been radicalized online, according to authorities. Police discovered an IS flag in the suspect’s apartment. IS has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but there have been recent calls from its Afghan branch for lone wolf attacks in Europe and the U.S.
This incident follows a thwarted suicide attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna and comes amid political tensions in Austria and Germany regarding immigration and asylum seekers. The far-right Freedom Party in Austria, which won the September election, used the attack to push for stricter immigration policies.
