An Austrian court has sentenced a 24-year-old Syrian Kurd refugee to life in prison for a knife attack that killed a teenage boy and injured five other people in southern Austria. The court found him guilty of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and terrorist offences following the incident in Villach on February 15th, 2025.
According to court officials, the attack was carried out in the name of the Islamic State. The suspect had pledged allegiance to the group shortly before the incident. Prosecutors argued that he acted with intent to cause maximum casualties, pointing to his statements after arrest, in which he reportedly said he regretted not killing more people and expressed a willingness to act again.
Christian Liebhauser-Karl, spokesman for the court in Klagenfurt, said the attacker
said he was prepared to do it again at any time.
The victim was a 14-year-old boy, while five other passers-by under the age of 33 were injured.
The court considered several aggravating factors, including the presence of minors among the victims, the premeditated nature of the attack, the lack of remorse, and the risk of reoffending. Prosecutors had called for the harshest possible sentence under Austrian law.
The man was granted asylum in Austria in 2020 after leaving Syria to avoid military conscription. Authorities said he became radicalised from 2024 onwards, partly through online content, including videos on social media platforms.
