17-year-old stabbed at Mura: knife attack over €100 debt, perpetrator arrested
A 19-year-old in Austrian Styria stabbed his peer multiple times over a €100 debt. The victim was transported by helicopter to Graz; the perpetrator was arrested following an extensive operation.
Knife attack at Mura: 19-year-old stabs peer over €100 debt
As reported by Žurnal24, on Thursday afternoon in Gersdorf an der Mur in Austrian Styria, a 19-year-old stabbed a 17-year-old acquaintance multiple times with a knife and seriously injured him. The motive was a debt of just €100.
Both youths come from the Leibnitz district. According to Austrian police, the 19-year-old had borrowed the sum from the victim approximately a week earlier. When the 17-year-old began persistently demanding the money back, they agreed to meet in Gersdorf an der Mur – a location bordering the Slovenian village of Ceršak on the Mura River.
Knife brought in advance
The meeting took place around 16.15. At that point, the 19-year-old pulled a concealed knife from his clothing and stabbed his peer multiple times in the upper body. During interrogation, he admitted to the act in its entirety and explained that he had brought the knife beforehand because he was expecting the possibility of conflict. He cited as motive a sense of being insulted by the 17-year-old's persistence in demanding repayment, and stated that it was a spontaneous, impulsive attack.
After the act, he discarded the knife in the forest and fled. Two acquaintances of the victim began pursuing him on foot. During his flight, the 19-year-old fell and physically struggled with them briefly, then disappeared into the forest again.
Extensive Austrian police operation
Austrian police immediately launched an extensive search operation upon receiving notification. Multiple patrols located and apprehended the suspect in a short time. A police dog discovered the discarded knife in the forest, which was secured as evidence. The investigation was taken over by the Austrian regional criminal investigation office.
Žurnal24 contacted the Maribor Police Directorate, where they confirmed that Slovenian police did not intervene – the entire operation was coordinated by the Austrian side.
Local resident: helicopter, gunshots and special units
The incident was described on Facebook by a local resident who was fishing just metres from the shore in Ceršak at the time. He said he heard shouts and rustling, then two Austrian police officers suddenly emerged from the bushes.
"Two Austrian police officers suddenly came out of the bushes, apparently some kind of special unit," he wrote. The officers asked if he spoke German and explained to him that they were searching for an armed man who was reportedly covered in blood and who had allegedly fled Austria into Slovenia across the new bridge. They warned him that the man was dangerous.
According to the local resident's account, an extensive operation then unfolded on the Austrian side of the Mura – with multiple police vehicles, in his view also a military vehicle and a helicopter in the air. He said he also heard gunshots, but could not confirm whether they were connected to the police operation.
Victim out of danger, investigation continues
The 17-year-old sustained serious injuries in the attack. After initial treatment at the scene, a rescue helicopter transported him to the regional hospital in Graz (LKH Graz). Austrian police reported that the victim remains hospitalised but is out of life-threatening danger. The investigation is being continued by the Austrian regional criminal investigation office.
Source: Žurnal24