A violent stabbing in a newly inaugurated supposedly protected zone at a crime hotspot in Vienna has rocked locals and officials alike.
On August 2, a 26-year old Syrian man was stabbed and seriously injured on the Yppenplatz square in Ottakring, Vienna’s 16th district. The area has a high migrant population and a high level of crime. The attack happened during a brawl between 10 to 15 people.
Police officers found the victim on the ground, with several gashes to his arms and head, at around 10pm. A bloodied knife with a 30-centimetre blade was recovered nearby.
Despite a police manhunt, the alleged perpetrator escaped. The suspect was, though, later identified as a 32-year-old Syrian who was arrested when he visited hospital to have his own wounds treated.
Police spokesman Markus Dittrich said: “We found the seriously injured man and were able to secure a bloody knife. The alleged perpetrator and his companions fled.
“An immediate search was unsuccessful. But now the investigation has led to success. A 32-year-old compatriot of the victim was arrested.”
The motive for the stabbing was unclear.
The attack shocked Vienna less than a day after the much-touted “protected zone and weapons-free zone” around the notorious square had been inaugurated by city officials.
The weapons-free zone encompasses the square and five adjacent blocks. It is officially forbidden to enter the area “with weapons or dangerous objects”.
Police have started patrolling the area more often, including at night.
In addition, a playground in the square had been designated a “protected zone” where police officers could legally tell people to leave if they suspected nefarious activity.
“Vienna has no tolerance for violence,” Social Democrat city mayor Michael Ludwig had said.
“In public spaces in particular, security creates trust. Our aim is to strengthen both the subjective feeling of security and the objective security situation in the long term. With this measure, we are sending a clear signal that weapons have no place in public spaces.”
Dittrich said although it was the police’s goal to prevent crimes such as the latest stabbing, “it is obvious that this cannot be achieved flawlessly”.
On social media, the City of Vienna has since been ridiculed for instituting an apparently toothless measure.
Right-wing activist Martin Sellner wrote in a post on X: “Instead of finally tackling the root causes – illegal migration, failed integration, and parallel societies – the focus remains on ineffective symbolic politics.
“The problem is not the knife, but the imported structures of violence.”
Michael Oberlechner, leader of the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) in Vienna’s 16th district, said: “The brutal knife attack confirms once again that placebos such as weapon-free zones are completely ineffective.”
In 2025, almost 1,000 knife attacks were recorded in Vienna – averaging three per day. These included 177 robberies, 24 cases of grievous bodily harm and eight murders.
