A teenager died and several other individuals were injured in Villach, Austria, on Saturday following a knife attack, officials reported. A suspect has been detained, but it remains unclear if he had any prior connection to the victims.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. local time, resulting in the death of a 14-year-old and injuries to four others, as stated by the mayor of Villach, a city located near the borders of Italy and Slovenia. Local police confirmed that two of the injured are in serious condition.
The suspect, identified as a 23-year-old Syrian man with legal residency in Austria, is being investigated by local authorities. It has not been established whether he resides in Villach or the motive behind the attack, according to Rainer Dionisio, a police spokesman in Carinthia.
Carinthia’s governor, Peter Kaiser, has called for the “harshest consequences” for the attacker, advocating for a trial, imprisonment, and deportation. The mayor of Villach, Günther Albel, condemned those who promote hatred and violence, stating that they will not prevail.
This incident follows a series of similar attacks in neighboring Germany, which have escalated migration concerns in the context of the country's national election campaign. The ongoing migration crisis has been fueled by the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, leading millions to seek refuge in Europe.
The large influx of refugees has raised questions about social integration and has sometimes incited xenophobic sentiments, benefiting right-wing nationalist movements. In December, the collapse of the Assad regime led several European nations to halt asylum proceedings for Syrians, with Austria announcing plans to deport those with rejected asylum claims.
Austria is generally considered safe, having been ranked the fifth-safest country in the world according to the Global Peace Index in 2023.