Fatal knife attack in Villach: Safety system heavily battered!

Fatal knife attack in Villach: Safety system heavily battered!

A shocking knife attack shook the city center of Villach on Saturday, where a 23-year-old Syrian citizen indiscriminately stood on passers-by. A 14-year-old Austrian was killed in this brutal assassination, while three other people were seriously injured and have to be treated in intensive care. The police run out of an Islamist background, since the perpetrator apparently quickly radicalized over Tikok and had connections to a radical Islamic influencer, as orf.at . An Islamist flag was also found during a search of his apartment.

The Interior Minister Gerhard Karner decidedly rejected the allegations of an official failure and praised the quick reaction of the emergency services, which were at the scene within seven minutes. He also thanked a Syrian witness who might prevent worse through his courageous intervention. Nevertheless, Karner called for a "occurrence of mass checking" of certain groups of people, in particular from asylum enthusiasts with Syrian and Afghan's background to prevent future attacks. "This attack could have been prevented," said FPÖ MP Hafenecker and received criticism for his statements in which he described the asylum system as a security risk, as on Kleinezeitung.at can be read.

political reactions and demands

The political reactions followed in a quick succession. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen described the attack as "horrific" and expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victim. SPÖ boss Andreas Babler and ÖVP boss Christian Stocker emphasized that all political measures have to be taken to prevent such atrocities in the future. The FPÖ boss Herbert Kickl sharply criticized the government and described the current situation as "system failure of the first quality". He also called for a closure of the Villach-Langauen asylum center.

The investigation into the assassin continues to run. According to reports, this was admitted to Austria in 2020 and received asylum. In the meantime, society is deeply affected by the incident, which not only demanded a single life, but also puts the cohesion in Villach to the test. A grief week was proclaimed in the city to commemorate the victims of this cruel crime.