Austrian Turkish man allegedly assaults 3 Jews in Vienna

JTA

(JTA) — An Austrian man of Turkish descent assaulted three Jewish men and a woman in a part of Vienna where many Jews live and work.

The incident occurred shortly before noon Thursday on Vienna’s Tabor Street in front of kosher restaurant.

The perpetrator, a 24-year-old unemployed Austrian with Turkish roots, was identified only as Burkay S.

He allegedly attacked three men in front of a Jewish restaurant. All three wore a kippah and one wore Hebrew inscriptions on his clothes.

The suspect was arrested at a nearby subway station. None of the men he allegedly beat suffered serious injuries. Before assaulting the Jewish men, he also hit a woman on the street.

Police are looking into the possibility that the attack was anti-Semitic, the Oe24 news site reported.

Auatrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz also said on Twitter that ” a possible antisemitic background is currently being examined by the competent authorities.” He thanked police for apprehending the suspect.

Austria had more than 500 anti-Semitic incidents in 2017 a near doubling from 2014.