Authorities have said that a stabbing attack in Austria that left a 14-year-old boy dead and five others injured was an “Islamic terror incident”
A 23-year-old Syrian man was arrested after the stabbing in the southern city of Villach on Saturday.
Gerhard Karner, the interior minister, said the suspect had alleged ties to the Islamic State group and had been radicalised online within a short time period.
Karner told reporters in Villach that he felt "anger about an Islamist attacker who indiscriminately stabbed innocent people here in this city".
Gerhard Karner, the interior minister, said the suspect had alleged ties to the Islamic State group and had been radicalised online within a short time period
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Governor Peter Kaiser has asked for the "harshest consequence" following the attack.
He said: "This unbelievable atrocity must have the harshest consequences! I have always said very clearly and unequivocally: 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!"
Rainer Dionisio, head of public relations at the Carinthian State Police said: "This is an extraordinary act. Something like this is unprecedented in Carinthia. The background to the act is still unknown, and the entire environment is now being investigated."
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Governor Peter Kaiser has asked for the "harshest consequence" following the attack
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The attack happened at about 3pm local time (4pm GMT) near the main square in the city, located near the Italian and Slovenian borders.
Officers said a 42-year-old Syrian food delivery rider saw the attack and rammed his vehicle into the attacker, who was injured and was arrested "right after the attack."
The man was thanked by Kaiser.
"This shows how closely terrorist evil but also human good can be united in one and the same nationality," Kaiser said.
The man under arrest is a Syrian asylum seeker with a valid residence permit and without a criminal record according to preliminary information.
Further details, such as whether the attacker knew any of the victims, remained unclear, a spokesperson for the police said. The injured were aged between 14 and 32.
Austria's president Alexander Van der Bellen took to social media, calling the attack "horrific", adding that "no words can undo the suffering, the horror, the fear."
Commenting on the incident, Herbert Kickl, leader of hard-right party Freedom Party of Austria, called for a "rigorous clamp-down on asylum."
The incident took place in Villach, Austria
Google MapsThe Free Syrian Community of Austria expressed its condolences to the victims' families.
It wrote on Facebook: "We all had to flee Syria, our home country, because we were no longer safe there - no-one left their country voluntarily. We are grateful to have found asylum and protection in Austria.
"Finally, we would like to emphasise: Anyone who causes strife and disturbs the peace of society does not represent the Syrians who have sought and received protection here."
