A Syrian asylum-seeker allegedly killed a 14-year-old boy and seriously injured five people in a stabbing spree Saturday in southern Austria, the BBC reported.
The suspect, 23, allegedly carried out the attacks around 4 p.m. local time near the main square of the alpine city of Villach, on the border with Italy and Slovenia, according to the outlet. A delivery worker then reportedly rammed his vehicle into the suspect before two police officers detained him at the scene. The delivery worker — himself a Syrian — said he witnessed the attack while driving by and intentionally attacked the suspect, the outlet reported.
Local reports identified the alleged attacker as “Ahmad G” and reported that he laughed and smiled while carrying out the attack, according to Metro. The suspected stabber had a temporary residence permit while awaiting the decision on his asylum application, the BBC reported. (RELATED: African Migrant Stabbed Stranger To Death Because Israel ‘Killed Children’: Police)
Police halted all train travel amid initial reports of a second potential stabber but later told the BBC only one attacker was involved.
The food delivery worker was identified as Alaaeddin Alhalabi by Austrian outlet 5 Minuten. Alhalabi claimed he was driving to deliver an order when he happened upon the gory stabbing scene, he told the outlet.
“I didn’t think about it, I reacted immediately. I just drove off in the car and hit him head-on,” he told the outlet. Bystanders mistook him for an attacker and “attacked me and smashed the window,” he told the outlet, adding that he escaped in his car and reported the attack to the police.
“I have lived here with my family for nine years and I love Villach. Villach has given me a lot,” Alhalabi told the outlet.
Police spokesman Rainer Dionisio told reporters Alhalabi’s intervention “was probably a heroic act, yes. It prevented something worse from happening,” according to 5 Minuten.
Austria’s Ministry of the Interior described the attack as a “violent crime” and called for witnesses to send videos, photos and tips to a platform the agency set up for that purpose. “Please do not post any photos or videos of the operation on social networks – this will protect ongoing investigations, the victims and the emergency services,” the agency requested.
Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek shared a photo appearing to show a man — whom Vlaardingerbroek alleged was the suspect — smiling and raising a finger while seated in front of a building as a female police officer points a gun toward him.
Peter Kaiser, the governor of Carinthia, the province where Villach is located, described the attack as an “unbelievable atrocity” and called for “the harshest consequences” including the suspect’s deportation.
“I have always said very clearly and unambiguously: anyone who lives in Carinthia, in Austria, must respect the law and must adapt to our rules and values. Anyone who violates these rules must face the harshest consequences – they must be put on trial, imprisoned and deported!” Kaiser said.
Kaiser expressed sympathy for the dead victim’s relatives and called for “a restrictive migration and asylum policy based on legal guidelines” across Austria and the European Union while also warning against “blanket judgments” drawn from “[t]his incomprehensible and inexcusable act.”
The incident follows a 24-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker with no apparent extremist links, Farhad N., plowing his car into a crowd Thursday in Germany on the eve of the Munich Security Conference, injuring at least 30 people and adding to a spate of deadly attacks in Germany, the BBC reported.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
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