A 23-year-old Syrian man accused of carrying out a deadly stabbing attack in Villach, Austria, had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and was radicalized online, Austrian officials said Sunday. The attack, which occurred Saturday afternoon, left a 14-year-old boy dead and five others wounded, prompting heightened security measures across the region.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner described the incident as "an Islamist attack with an IS connection by an attacker who radicalized himself within a very short time via the internet." Austrian police confirmed that the suspect had recorded himself pledging allegiance to IS before launching the attack. Officials also recovered IS flags from his apartment but found no weapons or explosives.
The suspect was arrested just seven minutes after police received the first emergency call. While authorities believe he acted alone, an investigation is underway to determine whether he had any accomplices. "The current picture is that of a lone perpetrator," said Michaela Kohlweiß, director of Austria's state police.
The stabbing spree occurred in the heart of Villach, a town near Austria's borders with Italy and Slovenia. The victims included two 15-year-old boys, a 28-year-old man, a 32-year-old man, and a 36-year-old man. Two remain in critical condition, according to police.
The attack was halted by another Syrian national, a 42-year-old food delivery driver who used his car to ram the assailant. Authorities credited his intervention with preventing further casualties. "This shows how closely terrorist evil but also human good can be united in one and the same nationality," said State Governor Peter Kaiser.
The mayor of Villach, Günther Albel, called the attack a "stab in the heart of the city," while President Alexander Van der Bellen described it as "horrific," adding, "No words can undo the suffering, the horror, the fear. My thoughts are with the family of the deceased victim and the injured."
The attack has intensified Austria's political debate on migration and national security. Far-right Freedom Party (FPO) leader Herbert Kickl blamed lenient asylum policies, stating, "No migrant would be able to commit murder or any other crime in our country if they were not in Austria in the first place." He called for a "rigorous crackdown on asylum."
Karner, Austria's interior minister, suggested expanding surveillance and mass screenings of asylum seekers. It would ultimately be necessary to carry out "mass checks without cause," he said, without elaborating on specific measures.
The stabbing is Austria's second major Islamist attack in recent years. In November 2020, a gunman who had previously attempted to join IS killed four people in Vienna before being shot by police. Saturday's violence follows an attempted attack last August, when authorities foiled a plot by a teenager who had pledged loyalty to IS and planned a suicide bombing at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.
Villach's annual carnival event, scheduled for Saturday, was canceled in the wake of the attack. Authorities have set up a crisis response team for residents and students returning to school Monday.
The Free Syrian Community of Austria issued a statement distancing itself from the suspect, condemning the attack, and expressing condolences to the victims' families. "We all had to flee Syria, our home country, because we were no longer safe there," the association stated. "Anyone who causes strife and disturbs the peace of society does not represent the Syrians who have sought and received protection here."
