Dealing with an individual case

The idyll in the town is gone after the belt attack

After the brutal belt attack, Mayor Gerhard Lentschig hopes that Horn will once again become the "feel-good town it used to be".(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The town of Horn in the Waldviertel region is still shaken to the core after an Afghan man critically injured a man with a belt. Although the perpetrator has been locked up and the crime in Horn was an absolutely isolated incident, people are struggling to regain their previous sense of security.

The shock in the Waldviertel town of Horn still runs deep. The brutal attack by an Afghan on June 21, when he - as reported - stabbed several people with his belt and critically injured a man, has left the usual Waldviertel idyll in tatters.

Great worries and concerns
The same asylum seeker had also indecently touched two girls at the Horner Stadtsee lake a week before the horrific act. Parents are now very worried, especially about their young girls. Some are afraid to let their girls go to the lake alone, they say.

Mayor Gerhard Lentschig also heard of one such case. "Of course the incident was tragic. But the man is locked away and can no longer do anything to us," he says, emphasizing that this was "an isolated case". Of course, everyone can react as they wish, but he personally would not want to restrict the children's freedom because of this: "It is much more important to give the children comprehensive information on how to react correctly in an emergency." Lentschig also wants "Horn to remain the feel-good town we are used to" because of its high quality of life.

Police support the town
The head of the town has the support of the police, who will now show more presence at neuralgic points to increase the general feeling of safety, confirms deputy district police chief Herbert Katholnig: "Horn is an extremely safe town."