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A 14-year-old boy is dead and five others are injured following a stabbing attack in Austria.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, a 23-year-old man was arrested in the city of Villach as authorities apprehended him after receiving help from a civilian, multiple outlets including the Associated Press, ABC News and the BBC reported.
According to the reports, the attack took place near the city’s main square, when the man — a Syrian national residing in Austria — allegedly used a folding knife to stab three teenage boys and three men aged 28, 32 and 36.
The suspect, whose identity has not been shared, is accused of stabbing the six victims near food stands around 4 p.m. local time, according to ABC News. He has since been charged with murder and attempted murder, per the BBC.
A 42-year-old man, who was working for a food delivery company at the time of the attack, saw the altercation go down from his vehicle and drove toward the suspect, per the AP, which cited police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio.
Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen reacted to the attack in a post shared on X, writing, “The knife attack in Villach, which resulted in the death of a young person and left several others seriously injured, is horrific.”
He added, “No words can undo the suffering, the horror, the fear. My thoughts are with the family of the deceased victim and the injured.”
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The AP reported on Sunday, Feb. 16 that two of the victims were seriously wounded, two others were still hospitalized and one more had minor injuries.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told reporters, per the outlet, that the man responsible for the attack had a possible connection to the Islamic State group, as he called the suspect someone who “radicalized himself within a very short time via the internet.”
The suspect’s home in the outskirts of Villach was searched by authorities, and he was questioned on Feb. 15.
Karner said, per the BBC, that an Islamic State group flag was discovered in his apartment. He added that the suspect had a valid residence permit and no criminal record.
The Guardian reported that Austria has a Syrian refugee population of roughly 100,000 people. According to ABC News, the suspect was residing in the country legally and was seeking asylum.
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Mourners gathered around the scene of the crime on Feb. 16, when they placed candles in the area, per The Guardian.