Four people were injured, two of them seriously. The incident took place in the city center, near the main square. The perpetrator, a Syrian citizen with residency rights, was arrested shortly after the act.

23-Year-Old Syrian Arrested

As police spokesman Rainer Dionisio stated, the 23-year-old had stabbed passersby shortly before 4:00 PM. The oldest of the injured is 32 years old. The act was witnessed by a bystander who then hit the perpetrator with a car. The bystander is a 42-year-old food delivery driver, also from Syria. According to the police, this likely prevented further acts. The 23-year-old was arrested shortly thereafter. Initial information suggests he has not previously come to police attention.

Villach Main Train Station Not Far Away

It was still unclear whether he acted alone, as a search for a possible additional perpetrator was ongoing. Whether there was a relationship between the perpetrator and the victims was also initially unclear. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism, together with the State Criminal Police Office, has taken over the investigation. During the police operation, train traffic was restricted - the Villach main train station is very close to the crime scene.

Reaction from State Leader

Governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) expressed himself in an initial reaction as "deeply shocked": "This unimaginable atrocity must have the harshest consequences!" His sympathy "as governor and especially personally as a father" goes to the family of the young person. Kaiser emphasized that Austria and the EU as a whole must "finally implement a migration and asylum policy based on restrictive guidelines and the rule of law." On the other hand, he also warned: "This unimaginable and inexcusable act cannot and must not lead to sweeping judgments made with hateful eyes, which may seem simple but solve no problem."

FPÖ state party chairman Erwin Angerer stated: "We Freedom Party members have been warning for years about these conditions, which have arisen due to the fatal asylum policy of the unified party led by the ÖVP."

(APA/Red)

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