VIENNA, Feb 16 — Three victims of a deadly stabbing rampage in the Austrian town of Villach were in intensive care today as the political fallout from the attack by a suspected Syrian asylum-seeker spread.
An attacker killed a 14-year-old Austrian and injured five other passers-by on Saturday afternoon. Police have arrested a 23-year-old man.
The five injured are aged between 15 and 36. The eldest, who was only slightly injured, is Turkish and the remainder are Austrian citizens, police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio said.
The bloodshed in Villach followed an attack on Thursday in Munich in neighbouring Germany by an Afghan national who drove his car into a crowd, injuring dozens, two of whom later died.
Attacks like yesterday’s are rare in Austria, and this one comes at a time of political tension since the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which came first in September’s parliamentary election, said last week it was unable to form a coalition government.
Centrist parties are now discussing whether they could try to form a government while the president considers options including moving the country towards a snap election.
Railing against illegal immigration and pledging to increase deportations to countries like Syria and Afghanistan, which it is currently illegal to deport people to, are central to the FPO’s platform and appeal, and the party quickly seized on the Villach attack.
“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,” Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement posted on his and the party’s social media.
Conservative Interior Minister Gerhard Karner is due to issue a statement to the media in Villach at 11.30am (6.30pm Malaysian time). — Reuters
