Shock in Villach: Knife attack on passers -by - a dead and several injuries!

Shock in Villach: Knife attack on passers -by - a dead and several injuries!

In a shocking incident in Villach, Austria, a 14-year-old student was killed on February 15, 2025 during an Islamistically motivated knife attack. The 23-year-old Syrian perpetrator, who started on passers-by on the main square with a folding knife, was arrested by the police within a few minutes. A total of five other people, aged 15 to 36, were seriously injured in the attack, as the state police director Michaela Kohlweiß announced. The perpetrator confessed to the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS), which makes the attack a clear act of radical Islam, the police confirmed after investigations in his apartment, in which similar notes were found. Together with Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and the Mayor of Villach Günther Albel, the population was asked for extensive help and vigilance. In addition, the police increased the presence in the entire region, while a second perpetrator was initially suspected, but turned out to be a misinformation, which led to a massive alarm search, according to Kohlweiß.

Investigations into the murder of Mehmet Turgut

The violent incident in Villach steered the public on the murder of Mehmet Turgut, which was shot almost twenty years ago on February 25, 2004 in a kebab bite in Rostock. This murder is considered part of a nationwide series of murder, which was committed by the right -wing extremist group NSU. The then 25-year-old Turk was executed cold-blooded after the perpetrators had forced him to lie on the floor. Despite numerous indications of a possible xenophobic background, the investigators rejected this and temporarily represented the murder as isolated crimes. This led to massive criticisms at the investigation, which only recognized the connection to a series of serial murders years later. The incidents raise serious questions about the political and security policy perception in connection with xenophobic violence in Germany, especially in the run -up to the 20th anniversary of Turgut's death, which is reminiscent of the newly created memorial at the Neudierkower Weg in Rostock.