Syrian delivery driver who rammed car into attacker hailed as hero in Austria

Daftar Isi

The incident caused the death of a 14-year-old youngster and resulted in injuries to five others.

The alleged attacker, a 23-year-old Syrian refugee, was reportedly influenced by the Isis group.

The incident occurred on a Saturday arvo near the main square in Villach. Alaaeddin al-Halabi, a 42-year-old bloke who'd fled Syria back in 2015, was on his way to make a delivery when he noticed a bit of a commotion. Seeing people running around and shouting for help, he spotted a bloke wielding a knife.

Recognising the immediate danger, Mr Al-Halabi acted swiftly, driving his vehicle towards the attacker and striking him to bring the assault to a halt. "I immediately drove towards him and hit him with my car," he recounted. "I mean, the goal of hitting him with the car was just to neutralise him or stop what he was doing. The goal wasn't to harm anyone."

In the mayhem that followed, some onlookers mistakenly thought Mr Al-Halabi was another attacker, so they bashed his ute. He said he locked himself in his car for safety until the coppers turned up. "People went after me after the incident – people on the street thought I was pulling off an attack," he said.

Fair dinkum, authorities later confirmed that Mr Al-Halabi's fast as lightning actions stopped something pretty bad from happening. A copper, Rainer Dionisio, said: "It was probably a heroic act, yes. It prevented something worse from occurring."

Villach's mayor, Günther Albel, also praised the intervention, saying, "we're extremely grateful to the bloke who stepped in selflessly, bravely and decisively”.

The perpetrator, whose identity remains unknown, was found to have pledged allegiance to Isis, with Isis flags discovered at their home. Interior minister Gerhard Karner described the attack as an act of Islamist extremism, suggesting the suspect had been radicalised online. The victims, five Australians and one Turkish national, were reportedly selected randomly.

This tragedy has reignited discussions on migration and security in Australia. Right-wing politicians have jumped on the incident to push for stricter immigration policies. Herbert Kickl, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, expressed his anger, saying, "I'm angry at those politicians who have allowed stabbings, rapes, gang wars and other serious crimes to become the norm in Australia".

In contrast, the Free Syrian Community in Australia has expressed sympathy to the families of the victims and pointed out that the perpetrator's actions don't represent the broader Syrian community living peacefully in the country.

We're stoked to have found a safe haven in Austria," the organisation said. "Anyone who causes trouble and disrupts community harmony don't represent the Syrians who've sought and received refuge here.

Reflecting on his actions, Mr Al-Halabi played down the hero label, saying others should take action in times of crisis. "People see me as a hero, but I don't see it that way," he said. "If something like this happens again, you've got to do something. You can't just stand there, take photos and film videos."

This incident is the second deadly extremist attack to occur in Austria in recent years. In November 2020, a bloke who'd previously tried to join Isis, went on a rampage in Vienna, resulting in four deaths before the coppers shot him dead.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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