A Syrian asylum seeker who went on a vicious knife rampage in Austria was seen “laughing” as he stabbed a 14-year-old boy to death in a suspected Islamist attack.
The 23-year-old man, named locally as Ahmad G., allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before launching into the attack just before 4pm on Saturday afternoon in the southern Austrian city of Villach.
Two men were seriously injured and are being treated at Klagenfurt State Hospital. One suffered eight stab wounds to the back and the other was knifed in his heart.
He stabbed his victims apparently at random as they were walking near the city’s main square and was stopped only after Alaaeddin Alhalabi, also a Syrian, bravely intervened.
The 42-year-old delivery van driver drove into the man in a desperate attempt to stop him. The suspect was then arrested.
“I didn’t think about it, I reacted immediately. I just drove off in the car and hit him” he told the Austrian news outlet 5 Minuten.
Alaaeddin added: “I have lived here with my family for nine years and I love Villach. Villach has given me a lot.”
Images from his arrest show the suspect grinning at police officers while they surrounded him with weapons.
“Videos of the arrest show the perpetrator laughing,” said police spokesman Rainer Dionisio, who told reporters he was stunned by what had happened. “As things stand, it is a good thing that the witness hit the perpetrator.”
A witness who owns a restaurant near the main square told Kleine Zeitung: “It was like a horror film.
“Everything happened quickly, one person jumped out of a car and then several people fled. Our employee locked the restaurant and kept the guests inside.”
Mayor Günther Albel said: “As mayor, but above all as a father of two children, today’s news from Villach breaks my heart.
“A dead 14-year-old and four others injured – this is the terrible result of a senseless act of bloodshed.
“My sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased. I wish the injured a speedy recovery.
“And to all those who sow hatred and violence, I say: You will not win.”
