Muhamad Yehia
Residents of Austria’s Villach attended a funeral march and church service on Tuesday after a 14-year-old boy was killed in a stabbing attack on Saturday.
A silent tribute march and church service took place in the Austrian town of Villach on Tuesday evening, following a deadly knife attack last Saturday that killed a 14-year-old boy and injured five others.
The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian, was arrested after the attack, which took place on Saturday afternoon in Villach’s city centre, close to the main square. Police said he used a folding knife. Those wounded were two 15-year-old boys and men aged 28, 32 and 36.
Austrian authorities said Sunday the suspect had possible connections to the Islamic State group, but appeared to have acted alone.
He did not elaborate on his plans. It was unclear how long the suspect had been in Austria, although authorities said he had a residence permit
Top politicians of the province were also present at Tuesday’s vigil, with Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg coming from Vienna.
“There are actually no words that would be appropriate in view of what happened here in the heart of Villach on Saturday afternoon,” said Schallenberg at the vigil. “All those who try to sow hatred and discord, who abuse their right of hospitality in Austria, must of course feel the full force of the law. Because hatred, intolerance and extremism simply have no place in our open, pluralistic and tolerant society.”
All church bells rang in the city area for four minutes at 6:00pm, after which the funeral procession, which took place under strict security precautions, set off with more than 4,000 participants
A wreath was laid at the memorial site, after which the mourners made their way to the parish church on Villach’s main square where an ecumenical service was held for victims and bereaved families.
The Villach attack marks the second deadly extremist attack in Austria in recent years. In November 2020, a man who had previously attempted to join the Islamic State group carried out a rampage in Vienna, armed with an automatic rifle and a fake explosive vest, killing four people before being fatally shot by police.
Last August, authorities foiled an attack on Taylor Swift shows in Vienna that was inspired by the Islamic State group.
The Islamic Religious Community in Austria expressed sympathies to the victims and their families in a statement on Sunday and said that it is “fully committed to peaceful and respectful coexistence.” The President of the Islamic Religious Community, Ümit Vural, added that the attack “has nothing in common with the true values of our faith.”