Knife attack in Villach: 14-year-old dies, perpetrator arrested!

Knife attack in Villach: 14-year-old dies, perpetrator arrested!

In a shattering incident in Villach, Austria, a 14-year-old youthful victim of a fatal knife attack was on Saturday afternoon. The alleged perpetrator, a 23-year-old refugee from Syria with a residence permit in Austria, was quickly caught after a witness, a 42-year-old meal deliverer also Syrian origin, had hit him with his car. In the incident, five other people were injured, two of them suffered serious injuries. This reports Radio Ennepe Ruhr

The exact background of the crime is currently unclear, and the investigation is headed by the State Office for State Security and Extremism in Carinthia as well as criminal officers. The question remains particularly open whether it is a single perpetrator and in which relationship the perpetrator and victims stood with each other.

political reactions

The incident caused various reactions in politics. Christian Stocker from the ÖVP called for comprehensive measures to protect against such violent acts. Herbert Kickl from the FPÖ, on the other hand, spoke of "system failure" and emphasized the need for a restrictive migration policy.

This tragic incident contributes to worrying statistics that testifies to rising violent offenses with stab weapons in Austria. According to Puls24 , the number of knife attacks displayed has increased considerably compared to ten years ago. In 2013, 1,524 cases were reported, while the number increased to 2,393 in 2022.

From 2013 to 2016, a constant increase in attacks with knives or similar stab weapons was observed, with a maximum of 2,530 acts reported. Since then, the annual figures fluctuate between 2,100 and 2,500. In contrast, violence with firearms shows a significant decline, which has been observed since 2017.

planned measures to combat violence

In response to increasing violence, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) plans a general ban on weapons in public space. Experts from the Ministry of the Interior and the State Police Directions were commissioned to develop a corresponding legislative proposal. This could include a possible prohibition of carrying out certain knives in order to increase the safety of the population. There is currently the possibility for security authorities to set up weapon ban zones that have already been implemented in different cities.

The events in Villach not only raise questions about the individual act, but also on the structural conditions that favor these acts of violence. Austria is faced with the challenge of finding appropriate measures to ensure security in the country and at the same time throw a critical eye on the conditions of migration.