On 15 February 2025, a

mass stabbing A mass stabbing is a single incident in which multiple victims are injured or killed with a sharp object thrusted at the victims, piercing through the skin and injuring the victims. Examples of sharp instruments used in mass stabbings may includ ...

occurred in

Villach Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887. Together wit ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. A 23-year-old Syrian male allegedly carried out a series of random stabbings against six pedestrians. The attack resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy and injuries to five other individuals.

Attack

Villach Innenstadt Hauptplatz mit Pranger NO-Ansicht 30012011 666

The attack took place at 15:33 near the historic city center of

, when the suspect allegedly began randomly attacking pedestrians with a knife. The attack was partially interrupted by the intervention of a Syrian food delivery worker who, upon witnessing the stabbings from his vehicle, reportedly drove toward the suspect in an attempt to prevent further violence. This intervention was later credited by police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio as helping to limit the scope of the attack. Messerangriff in Villach am 15

The attack resulted in the death of the 14-year-old Alexander Kopeinig and the wounding of five other people, aged 15 to 36, of which three were treated in

intensive care Intensive care medicine, usually called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes p ...

. A man from Turkey was among the injured.

Suspect

Following the attack authorities detained 23-year-old Syrian Ahmad G. while maintaining an active investigation into the possibility of additional suspects. According to witnesses and responding officers, the suspect shouted "

Allahu akbar Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), although the term was used in pre-Islamic Arabia ...

" and showed the Tawhid finger. In the immediate aftermath, police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio, speaking to Austria's public broadcaster

ORF ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the g ...

, indicated that investigators had not yet determined if the suspect's motive was

Islamic extremism Islamic extremism refers to extremist beliefs, behaviors and ideologies adhered to by some Muslims within Islam. The term 'Islamic extremism' is contentious, encompassing a spectrum of definitions, ranging from academic interpretations of Is ...

or whether the suspect had acted alone, leading to continued searches for potential accomplices. The suspect held legal residency status in Austria at the time of the attack. A day after the attack at a conference in Villach, the interior minister

Gerhard Karner Gerhard Karner (born 13 November 1967) is an Austrian politician currently serving as minister of the interior. From 2003, Karner was a member of the Lower Austrian state legislature. From 2003 to 2015, he was managing director of the People's Pa ...

said that the suspect was influenced by an Islamic extremist motive and was linked to the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

after being radicalised online and that an Islamic State flag was found in his apartment. Police later recovered a recording of the suspect swearing an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State.

References

{{Mass stabbings in the 2020s February 2025 in Austria February 2025 crimes in Europe Knife attacks in Europe Mass stabbings in Europe Stabbing attacks in 2025 2020s murders in Austria Villach Islamic terrorism in Austria Child murder in Austria Islamic terrorist incidents in 2025

Attack

Suspect

See also

References