SYRIAN ASYLUM SEEKER STABS CHILD TO DEATH
A Syrian asylum seeker is accused of a stabbing rampage in Austria in which a 14-year-old boy was killed and five other people wounded.
The attack took place in the town of Villach.
The 23-year-old Syrian man was arrested soon after the attack and upon investigation, police found the Islamic State (IS) flag in his apartment. Authorities say the man had been rapidly radicalised on the internet and that he had sworn an oath of allegiance to IS.
Austria is currently under a lot of political strain as the Freedom Party (FPO) won the parliamentary election in September, but hasn’t yet been able to form a coalition government.
The party was quick to seize the opportunity related to the Villach attack as it rallied against illegal immigration. Currently illegal in Austria, the FPO has pledged to increase deportations to countries like Syria and Afghanistan.
In August, just days before last year’s election, police managed to thwart a plot to carry out a suicide attack at one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna. The teenager arrested for the plot, had also sworn loyalty to IS.
The attack in Austria happened just days after an attack in neighbouring country Germany. On Thursday, an Afghan national drove his car into a crowd in Munich. Dozens of people were injured and two of them later died in hospital because of their injuries.
Image credit: Reuters
