The “youths” described in the story below really are young — 15 and 12 years old. Yet despite their tender years they were threatening smaller children with knives in a park in Vienna. Maybe they were too young to purchase machetes in Austria…

Many thanks to Nash Montana for translating this article from the Kronen Zeitung:

Vienna —Tough-guy hooligan threatens children in park with knife

An unbelievable scene unfolded on Monday afternoon at the Matznerpark in Vienna-Penzing: A 15-year-old Syrian was waving around a knife on the children’s playground. When he threatened two small children and said he’d stab them, the parents called the police. The Syrian’s friend, a 12-year-old Chechen, also carried a knife.

Happy children’s laughter, birds chirping and a large dog-walking zone — but the perfect idyll was deceptive. Last Monday a boy created a one-person show with knife throwing. And suddenly he threatened a little boy and girl that he would stab them. The police arrested the youth and confiscated the knife. Multiple reports were filed against him by people. Another knife was found on the person of the youth’s friend.

“I am afraid”

Residents are shocked: “I am afraid. My eight-year-old daughter loves to play here after school, even on Monday. This is, after all, not the first incident,” says the kindergarten assistant Marta Wisniewska. “In the evening I wouldn’t go in the park alone without a dog anymore,” Katja and her friend Patricia say. The two students of nursing like to sit in this oasis of nature regularly to catch some fresh air. And Andreas E. is glad, because he learned that the police will be controlling the park more often due to the many reports filed about activity in the park.