The leader of the far-right Freedom party (FPOe) Herbert Kickl (L) leaves after talks with Austria’s President on February 11, 2025 at the presidential Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Austria’s far-right Freedom party (FPOe) — which topped national polls for the first time ever in September — had been negotiating with the long-ruling conservative People’s Party (OeVP) since early January for the Alpine EU member’s first far-right-led coalition. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)
VIENNA, Austria — A Syrian asylum seeker was arrested after a teenager was stabbed to death and five other people were wounded in southern Austria Saturday, police said, sending shock waves through the Alpine nation.
The attack comes just two days after a suspected Afghan asylum seeker rammed a car into people in the city of Munich in neighboring Germany, killing two people and wounding dozens of others.
lego slot Article continues after this advertisementIn the Austrian city of Villach, a man “randomly attacked passers-by with a knife,” police spokesman Rainer Dionisio told AFP.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION Pope Francis slept well, reading papers in hospital: Vatican GLOBALNATION Anger, confusion as US federal workers face more layoffs GLOBALNATION Exercises ‘purely defensive,’ US says of drills with PHOfficers had arrested a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker, he said. “One victim, a 14-year-old boy, died,” he added.
The number of wounded increased from four earlier to five, including two who were seriously hurt, Dionisio said. The oldest victim was 36 years old.
Article continues after this advertisementThe incident happened on Saturday just before 4:00 pm local time (1500 GMT) in the center of the city in Carinthia province.
Article continues after this advertisementA passing food delivery rider — also from Syria — intervened, ramming his vehicle into the attacker, who was lightly hurt and was arrested “right after the attack”, said Dionisio.
Article continues after this advertisementThe suspect is a Syrian asylum seeker with a valid residence permit and no criminal record, according to preliminary information, he added.
Dionisio said they could not yet say anything about the motive of the attack, but were verifying eyewitness accounts that the attacker had shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest).
Article continues after this advertisement‘Harshest consequences’
Carinthia Governor Peter Kaiser of the Social Democrats called for the “harshest consequences” for this “unbelievable atrocity.”
“I have always said very clearly and unambiguously: Anyone who lives in Carinthia, in Austria, must respect the law and must adapt to our rules and values,” he said.
“Anyone who violates these rules must face the harshest consequences; they must be put on trial, imprisoned and deported.”
Far-right leader Herbert Kickl—whose party won September’s national elections for the first time ever—said he was “appalled” by the attack and called it a “system failure.”
“We need a rigorous clamp-down on asylum,” he said in a statement.
Kickl’s Freedom Party (FPOe) this week failed in talks to form a government with the runner-up and incumbent conservatives.
Austria hosts a large Syrian refugee population of almost 100,000.
After Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in Syria in December, Austria and several European countries froze pending asylum requests from Syrians to reassess the situation.
In a statement on Monday, GSIS said the transport hub dubbed as ‘Project Hub’, will be located at the corner of the Elliptical Road and Commonwealth Avenue.
The National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents the employees, is negotiating a new contract with the Oakland-based health giant. It said the strikers demand Kaiser hire more people to ease the burden put on the current staff.
In addition, Austria has stopped family reunifications and sent out at least 2,400 letters to revoke refugee status.
The interior ministry has said it is preparing “an orderly repatriation and deportation program to Syria.”
Austria has so far only seen one jihadist attack, in 2020, when a convicted IS sympathizer went on a shooting rampage in downtown Vienna, killing four.
The Villach attack follows Thursday’s car-ramming attack in Munich.
A two-year-old girl and her mother died Saturday from injuries suffered in that attack which wounded 37 other people.
A 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker was arrested on suspicion of deliberately driving the car into a trade union demonstration.
German police said he may have had Islamist extremist motives for the attack.
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The carnage came shortly before Germans head to the polls for a February 23 election where immigration is a key issue following a spate of attacks blamed on migrants.lccplus
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