A 12-year-old Syrian migrant has been interviewed by police in Vienna after reportedly threatening a 15-year-old Austrian student with a knife and later throwing an axe at him in a dispute fueled by jealousy over a girl.
The altercation, which occurred in the Austrian capital’s Liesing district on Sunday, turned violent after the perpetrator learned the 15-year-old boy had spent the night with a girl he liked.
According to OE24, the migrant confronted the boy outside the Draschestrasse High School where he was hanging out with friends. The attacker brandished a large kitchen knife and threatened to stab the group but was disarmed.
Witnesses reported that the 12-year-old Syrian returned shortly after armed with an axe and hurled it at the teenager shouting, “I’ll kill you, you faggot.” The axe only narrowly missed its target.
The would-be victim fled the scene with his friends and hid in the bushes along the Liesing river before calling the authorities who quickly responded and located the 12-year-old outside his home.
“Police officers caught the 12-year-old in front of his home shortly after the crime. After being questioned at the police station, the underage minor was handed over to his parents. The axe was confiscated. The twelve-year-old had hidden it in his father’s car,” read a police report.
The mother of the Austrian teenager, a teacher at the local school, told local media the Syrian boy had been a known troublemaker and had previously threatened other children with a machete and a replica firearm.
She explained how she had visited the attacker’s home to attempt to reason with his parents.
“I spoke to the father so that he could influence his son, but was only looked at with contempt. He said: ‘I don’t speak any German’ and walked away,” she told the Austrian news outlet.
The Vienna police are continuing their investigation into the incident.
At just 12 years of age, the boy has not yet reached the age of criminal responsibility in Austria. He therefore cannot face criminal charges under Austrian law, leading to raised concerns about juvenile violence, especially in the context of foreign-born minors.
