Knife attack in Vienna: Sacrifice recognizes perpetrators after unsuccessful search!

Knife attack in Vienna: Sacrifice recognizes perpetrators after unsuccessful search!

Wien-Mariahilf, Österreich - On June 26, 2025, a knife attack occurred in Vienna Mariahilf in which a 30-year-old man was injured in a park. The incident occurred on Monday, and the subsequent search for the unknown perpetrator was initially unsuccessful. On Wednesday morning, however, the victim recognized the attacker and informed the police. The perpetrator, a 52-year-old Lithuanian citizen, was arrested on the same day after the victim was returned to the police inspection. A kitchen knife in the backpack of the suspect was found during the arrest. The argument between the two men had preceded a dispute. The injured man received first aid at the crime scene and was then taken to the hospital. The 52-year-old is currently in custody.

a worrying trend

This knife attack is part of an alarming increase in violent crimes in Austria. According to the current statistics, a record value of 2,596 knife attacks was registered last year, which corresponds to an increase of almost 25 percent compared to 2020. Vienna is considered a hotspot, with almost three knife attacks per day and a total of 956 incidents.

The darkness behind the numbers

Among other things, the crime statistics count among the knife attacks 177 cases of severe robbery, 410 dangerous threats, 24 serious bodily harm and 8 murders. The origin of the suspects is also worrying: of 2,471 suspects were 1,386, about 56 percent, no Austrian citizens. The distribution includes 415 suspects from Morocco, 345 from Turkey and 305 from Tunisia. The FPÖ general secretary Michael Schledlitz critically commented on the security situation and described Interior Minister Gerhard Karner as a "security risk".

Legal measures in planning

The increase in knife attacks cannot be overlooked. The statistics show that the number of violent offenses with stab weapons has increased continuously in recent years. While 1,524 acts were still registered in 2013, the number climbed to 2,393 by 2022. Supreme stalls were recorded in 2016 with 2,530 attacks. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner plans to counteract this development by introducing a general ban on weapons in public space. Experts are currently working on a legislative proposal that could also prohibit the accommodation of certain knives. There are already weapons ban zones in Vienna and Innsbruck.

The situation remains tense and requires urgent measures to ensure the security of the citizens and to get the increasing numbers of knife attacks under control. While the public prosecutor and the police continue to have a look at the search for perpetrators, it remains to be seen which steps the government will take to improve public security.