Austrian police detain suspect in Vienna knife attack, police say

An officer blocks a street when police is on the hunt for an attacker after several people have been injured in a knife attack on the streets of Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, March 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Authorities in Austria have detained a 23-year-old suspect Thursday in connection with knife attacks in Vienna in which four people were injured, Vienna police confirmed online.

Patrick Maierhofer, a police spokesman, said in a statement that the male suspect was detained shortly after a 20-year-old man was brought to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police stand on a street in downtown Vienna after several people have been injured in a knife attack on the streets of Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, March 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Police say they are still investigating whether the suspect is also responsible for the stabbing of a family of three an hour earlier, also in Vienna.

All three family members, the 67-year-old father, the 56-year-old mother and their 17-year-old daughter, suffered life-threatening injuries and were taken to the hospital. The names of the victims were not given.

Further details regarding the attack and a possible motive were not immediately clear.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.