Syrian stabs passersby in Austrian town, killing one, police say

Police are seen after a knife attack near the main square in the city center of Villach, southern Austria on Feb. 15, 2025. (AFP)

• Further details, such as whether the attacker knew any of the victims, remained unclear
• The injured were aged between 14 and 32

ZURICH: Austrian authorities say they have classified the deadly stabbing attack in a southern city as an “Islamic terror incident.”
The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian man, stabbed six passersby in broad daylight in Villach on Saturday, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding five others. He was arrested after the attack.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said Sunday he felt “anger about an Islamist attacker who indiscriminately stabbed innocent people here in this city.”
Villach is known for its carnival and is in an area that is a tourist hotspot in the summer as it includes one of Austria’s most famous lakes but otherwise attracts little attention.
A man whom Austrian media described as a Syrian food delivery driver charged into the attacker with his car and prevented him from harming more people.
The attack comes at a time of political upheaval in Austria as the far-right Freedom Party, which came first in September’s parliamentary election, said on Wednesday it had failed to form a coalition government. The president is now considering whether an alternative to a snap election is available.
Railing against illegal immigration and pledging to increase deportations to countries like Syria and Afghanistan, which it is currently illegal to deport people to, are central to the Freedom Party’s platform and appeal, and the party quickly seized on the Villach attack.
“We need a rigorous crackdown on asylum and cannot continue to import conditions like those in Villach,” Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement.