Austrian authorities announced the arrest on Monday of a 31-year-old Syrian refugee in connection with the assault on the head of the Jewish community in Graz on Saturday.
“Investigators believe that there was an Islamist motive. Corresponding evidence was seized at his apartment,” said Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer, according to AP.
The suspect is also believed to be linked with damage to a Catholic church and an LGBT community center, said Nehammer.
The victim, Elie Rosen, was attacked with a piece of wood after approaching the suspect, who had been throwing stones into the courtyard of a synagogue, according to the report. Rosen escaped the incident without harm, and the assailant fled the scene.
The suspect had been living in Austria since 2013. Police found stones in his backpack and a chair leg that he allegedly used to attack Rosen, said Nehammer, according to AP.
According to the Austrian Press Agency, he ordered all synagogues to be guarded around the clock.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said he was “shaken” by the attack. He promised to bring the perpetrator to justice quickly and to ensure the security of Austria’s Jews, according to the report.
