Austria Stabbing Attack That Killed 14-Year-Old Teen Linked To Islamic State, Says Minister

A stabbing attack in Austria that killed a 14-year-old boy and wounded five others has been linked to the Islamic State group.

A 14-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Austria on Saturday.

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A stabbing attack in Austria that killed a 14-year-old boy was an Islamist attack, said the country's interior minister. 

The attack took place on Saturday at Villach, a town near the border with Italy and Slovenia, wounding five people. 

A 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker was detained at the scene. 

The attack was linked to the Islamic State group, said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, adding the suspect appeared to have been radicalised online, reported BBC. 

Earlier the authorities said he had a temporary residence permit and was waiting for a decision on his asylum application. 

Addressing a news conference on Sunday, Karner said this was an "Islamist attack with IS links by an attacker who, according to the investigations so far, was obviously radicalised online, via the internet, within a very short space of time.

"So those in a position of responsibility, the police, the authorities, must draw the necessary conclusions from that," Karner said. 

A 42-year-old man, working with a food delivery company witnessed the incident from his car, said the police, reported Associated Press. The man drove toward the suspect and helped to prevent things from getting worse, Police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio told the country's public broadcaster ORF. 

All the victims were men, with two seriously injured and two sustaining minor injuries, said the police. Later, the cops said a fifth person, also a man was injured in the attack. 

Police said it was not clear whether the suspect acted alone and continued to search for potential additional suspects. It is also not known whether there is any connection between the attacker and the victims. 

Peter Kaiser, the governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia, expressed his condolence over the death of the 14-year-old victim. “This outrageous atrocity must be met with harsh consequences," Kaiser said.