Syrian on Trial for Stabbing Fellow Migrant for Learning German Well

A Syrian man faces trial in Vienna after allegedly nearly stabbing a fellow Syrian man to death because the latter was applying himself to learning German on a course they attended.

The two Syrians, both with refugee status, attended a German language course in Vienna together earlier this year, but after one of the young men applied himself to the course more studiously, the 22-year-old defendant allegedly stabbed him in the neck several times.

The migrant now faces trial in an Austrian courtroom, accused of attempted murder by the Vienna prosecutor, who claimed the stabbing took place after the defendant began insulting the victim, the newspaper Kronen Zeitung reports.

“The victim was particularly ambitious in the German course, and made rapid progress,” the prosecutor told the courtroom this week. “The defendant, therefore, referred to his course colleague as a ‘nerd’, who in turn called the later perpetrator ‘lazy’.”

According to the prosecutor, the arguments continued outside of the classroom and led to the alleged stabbing, which saw the victim’s carotid artery ruptured.

Christina Salzborn, the judge in the case, questioned the Syrian on why he had a knife in his possession at the language course in the first place. Using an interpreter, the Syrian claimed he had used the knife to cut apples he would bring to the school.

The migrant admitted to the attack, claiming: “After class, Odai went after me, wanted to hit me. So I pulled the knife out of my pocket. I hoped he would take it as a threat and run away.”

Andreas Reichenbach, the lawyer for the Syrian, alleged that “the victim repeatedly teased and provoked my client. He also said they should meet to settle this among men.”

The bizarre incident comes as Austria has seen a surge of migrant arrivals this year, with the country’s Interior Ministry estimating that as many as 70,000 or more asylum seekers applied for asylum between January and September.

Ongoing issues regarding migrant crime as well as corruption scandals for the ruling Austrian People’s Party (OeVP) have led to a surge in support for the populist Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe), with a poll released last week by Austrian newspaper Kurier having the FPOe as the most popular in the country.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.