Knife stabbing in Ottakring: 24-year-old injured after provocation!

Knife stabbing in Ottakring: 24-year-old injured after provocation!

This afternoon was a 24-year-old man in Vienna-Ottakring victim of a violent attack. The incident occurred when the man was sitting on a bench with a friend and was provoked by an unknown perpetrator. The words "What do you see?" Before the attacker started the victim with a machete in the waistband and added a stab wound on his neck. The Vienna career rescue provided the injured victim and transported him to the hospital. According to the police, the injuries are comparatively light.

The police spokeswoman Anna Gutt confirmed the victim's description by witnesses. A passerby had photographed the perpetrator before it fled. The investigation by the Vienna State Criminal Police Office is currently underway, and a political motive has not yet been recognizable. The background of the attack remains unclear.

increasing knife attacks in Austria

The incident in Ottakring is part of a worrying trend. The number of violent offenses with stab weapons in Austria has increased significantly in recent years. While 1,524 acts were still registered in 2013, the number rose to 2,393 in 2022, as the crime statistics of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) show. The maximum value was recorded in 2016 with 2,530 attacks. Since then, the number fluctuates between 2,100 and 2,500.

In contrast, the data show a decline in violence with firearms. Since 2017, these have dropped from over 500-600 cases to under 400, with 305 reported cases in 2022.

political reactions and possible changes in the law

In response to increasing violence, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) plans a general ban on weapons in public space. The draft law is currently being drawn up by experts from the Ministry of the Interior and the State Police Directions. Possibly carrying certain knives should be banned. There are already weapon ban zones, for example at the Vienna Praterstern and in two zones in Innsbruck. These measures could help increase security in public space and to prevent similar incidents in the future