REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

VIENNA (Reuters) - The man who stabbed a soldier outside the residence of the Iranian ambassador to Austria sympathized with radical Islamist ideology but it is too early to say what his motive was, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. Austrian police spokesman Harald Moeser said that the assailant "died on the spot" after the guard shot him four times, after pepper spray failed to stop him. Police said that a 26-year-old Austrian citizen was killed Sunday night after attacking the soldier, who was standing guard outside the building. The 26-year-old assailant's motive for the attack, which took place around 11:30 p.m. (2230 GMT), was unclear and the local branch of the domestic intelligence and anti-terror agency is looking into the case, a police spokesman said. Police have ordered reinforcements around all diplomatic missions in the Austrian capital, which is also home to many international organisations.
An Austrian soldier was stabbed and injured in front of the Iranian embassy in Vienna. The attacker, which had Islamist sympathies according to the authorities, was shot dead.