A 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker with legal residence in Austria has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 14-year-old boy and the wounding of four other people in Villach on Saturday. Two of the victims were seriously and two lightly wounded in the knife attack.
Authorities are investigating the suspect’s background, and the motive for the attack remains unclear. Police are also checking if the suspect acted alone or if others were involved.
The attack comes two days after a 24-year-old Afghan national, another asylum seeker, was arrested in connection with a vehicular assault in Munich, Germany on Thursday.
A two-year-old girl and her 37-year-old mother were killed in the attack at a trade union demonstration in the Bavarian city, and at least 36 others were injured.
The suspect, identified by authorities as Farhad N, was detained at the scene. He has lived in Munich since arriving as an unaccompanied minor in 2016, legally residing there despite his rejected asylum application and having no prior convictions.
Authorities are investigating him on 36 counts of attempted murder, bodily harm, and dangerous interference with road traffic. Prosecutors believe he had an Islamic extremist motive but found no links to radical networks.
