Horrific knife attack in southern Austria leaves one dead, four injured

15 February 2025 , 19:38

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Horrific knife attack in southern Austria leaves one dead, four injured

A 23-year-old man has been arrested in the Austrian city of Villach following a terrible mass stabbing in which one person was killed and four others were injured

A 14-year-old has been killed in a horrific knife attack which saw a man stab five passersby in southern Austria on Saturday

The suspect, a 23-year-old man was detained in the city of Villach, where the attack took place, police said. He is a Syrian national with legal residence in Austria, police said.

Two of the victims, who were all men, sustained serious injuries, while another two suffered minor injuries, police said.

The motive for the knife attacks was not yet known, police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio said, adding that detectives were looking into the attacker’s personal background. “We have to wait until we get secure information,” he said. 

An eyewitness, a 42-year-old man who works for a food delivery company, told local reporters how he saw the incident from his car. The man said he drove toward the suspect and helped to prevent things from getting worse, Austria’s public broadcaster ORF reported.

Police confirmed that a 14-year-old had died and four others had been injured in the attack ( Image: kaernten.orf.at)

Police have said they do not yet know if the suspect was acting alone and they will continue to search for potential further suspects. 

Locals in the southern city of Villach, near the Italian and Slovenian borders have been shocked by the bloody attack.

Grace Cooper