Austria stabbing latest: Suspect detained after boy, 14, dies in Villach knife attack and five wounded
A 23-year-old Syrian national has been detained after a 14-year-old boy was killed in a random knife attack in Austria, which left five wounded.
Authorities said the suspect – a 23-year-old Syrian national with legal residence in Austria – has been detained by police after the attack in the city of Villach on Saturday.
Police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio said a motive was not immediately known and that police were investigating the alleged attacker’s personal background.
Four of the victims were men aged between 14 and 32. Two were seriously injured in the attack, with the other two having sustained minor injuries. Later on Saturday, police confirmed a fifth man was injured.
A 42-year-old man who works for a food delivery company witnessed the incident from his car, police said. He drove toward the suspect and helped to prevent things from getting worse, Dionisio told Austria’s public broadcaster ORF.
“A man randomly attacked passers-by with a knife,” police spokesman Rainer Dionisio told AFP.
Police said it wasn’t clear whether the suspect acted on his own and are continuing to search for potential further suspects.
The incident happened on Saturday just before 4pm local time in the centre of the city in southern Austria.
