The southern Austrian town of Villach on Saturday was the scene of a mass stabbing by a 23-year-old Syrian man, who killed a 14-year-old boy and left five other people injured.
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The event took place shortly before 4 p.m. on Saturday, when the assailant began indiscriminately stabbing passers-by strolling through the city center, causing panic within minutes. The attack was interrupted thanks to another 42-year-old Syrian citizen, a food deliveryman, who witnessed the events and with his delivery vehicle rammed the suspect, thus facilitating his arrest, as later confirmed by the Police.
Eyewitnesses have described that the young man mocked the police officers when he was arrested, according to the Austrian media Kleine Zeitung. Proof of this is the photograph that has spread like wildfire on social networks, showing the alleged attacker moments after the crime.
The image shows the young man, who according to Austrian media is named Ahmad G., laughing and relaxed while sitting on a bench in a square. On the left, a female police officer is approaching him, pointing her service weapon at him.
Right hand finger pointing up.
Remember this symbol and what it means. pic.twitter.com/8oH9sxF9Ez
— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) February 15, 2025
In addition to a mocking facial expression, the assailant is shown raising the index finger of his right hand, a gesture very similar to that made by Muslims as an expression of faith before their God, and which has been appropriated as a symbol by the jihadists of the Islamic State (ISIS).
Initial information indicates that Ahmad G. has a residence permit and no police record. Nor does there appear to be any link between the attacker and the victims, all of whom are Austrian, although police spokesman Rainer Dionisio has assured that they cannot rule anything out. “We are examining the immediate vicinity to get information to pinpoint the motive. So far we can only speculate. That’s why we need reliable information,” he explained.
The State Office for State Protection and Combating Extremism has taken over the investigation in cooperation with the State Criminal Police Office. Police sources quoted by Kleine Zeitung have assured that the suspect may have shouted “Allahu Akbar” – an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great” – after the attack, although there is still no official confirmation. Authorities have also not confirmed the terrorist motivation.
This event took place a few days after another deadly attack in Munich, a mass shooting, whose “Islamist motivation” has been confirmed by the German authorities. In this case, the attacker was a 24-year-old Afghan national who was legally in Germany, where he was working as a security guard in a store and also had no criminal record. He also reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” when he was arrested.
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The Villach attack has shocked the Austrian population and has caused even more political turmoil in the immigration debate, which is mainly championed by far-right parties across Europe, but whose discourse is also beginning to be adopted by other parties, especially in countries such as Germany and Austria.
-Thailand News (TN)
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