A stabbing in Austria that killed a 14-year-old boy and wounded 5 others was an Islamist assault, Austrian officers have mentioned.
The assault passed off on Saturday at Villach, a city close to the border with Italy and Slovenia.
A 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker was detained on the scene.
Inside Minister Gerhard Karner mentioned an Islamic State group flag had been present in his residence, whereas state police chief Michaela Kohlweiss mentioned he had sworn allegiance to the group.
Talking at a information convention on Sunday, Karner mentioned this was an “Islamist assault with IS hyperlinks by an attacker who, based on the investigations up to now, was clearly radicalised on-line, through the web, inside a really quick area of time.
“So these able of duty, the police, the authorities, should draw the mandatory conclusions from that.”
Karner mentioned the suspect had a legitimate residence allow, no legal document, and had not beforehand attracted the eye of authorities.
Authorities beforehand mentioned the suspect had a short lived residence allow and was ready for a call on his asylum software.
The assault passed off round 16:00 native time (15:00 GMT) close to the city’s essential sq..
Three of the 5 folks inured within the stabbing are nonetheless receiving hospital therapy. Two of them had been in a critical situation as of Saturday night.
A supply employee, additionally a Syrian man, who had pushed his automobile on the attacker helped forestall extra accidents, police mentioned.
The assault comes amid a nationwide debate over asylum legal guidelines and an election final 12 months that noticed the far-right Freedom Social gathering come out on prime for the primary time.
The get together has did not type a coalition authorities, leaving Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen weighing up whether or not to name a snap election, type a minority authorities or invite different events or a gaggle of specialists to attempt to type an administration.
Herbert Kickl, the top of the Freedom Social gathering, seized on the Villach assault, saying on Saturday that Austria wants a “rigorous crackdown on asylum”.
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, 2025-02-16 12:24:00
