An Austrian court has sentenced a 24-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee to life in prison over a jihadist knife attack that killed a teenage boy and wounded five other people.
A jury in Klagenfurt, southern Austria, found the man guilty on May 27 of murder, five counts of attempted murder and terrorist offences.
The defendant, who has not been named under Austrian privacy rules, showed no remorse. “He said he was prepared to do it again at any time,” court spokesman Christian Liebhauser-Karl told AFP.
After his arrest, the man had told police he regretted not reaching his goal of killing at least 10 people and dying during the attack, the court heard.
On February 15, 2025, he carried out the assault in the name of the Islamic State (IS) group on a street in Villach, southern Austria. A 14-year-old boy died and five passers-by, all aged under 33, were wounded.
The man had been granted asylum in Austria in 2020 after fleeing conscription. He then became rapidly radicalised from 2024 by watching videos on TikTok, and pledged allegiance to IS two days before the attack.
During the assault he was overpowered by a food delivery driver, also originally from Syria, who rammed him with his vehicle.
Prosecutors had urged the jury to use the full sentencing scale, citing the man’s prior record, his lack of remorse, the religious motive and the risk that he would strike again.
The verdict is not final. Although the convicted man has waived his right to appeal to the Supreme Court, the public prosecutor’s office has three days to lodge an appeal.
The case has come amid mounting concern across Europe over migration and the online radicalisation of young asylum seekers.
