Knife Rampage at Swiss Train Station Declared Terrorist Act

A knife rampage at a Swiss train station that left three people injured was an act of terrorism, regional police said on Thursday, after arresting a man previously suspected of spreading Isis propaganda. A 31-year-old dual Swiss-Turkish national was arrested following the early morning attack in Winterthur, a city to the north of Zurich, police said, adding that they were still working to identify a motive. The three victims of the attack were receiving hospital care this afternoon. One person was stabbed in the neck, another in the leg, while a third man was stabbed in the thigh. Zurich cantonal police commandant Marius Weyermann said the suspect had previously been reported to the police in 2015 for spreading propaganda from the hardline militant group Isis. “The motive for this act must be sought in the area of radicalization and extremism,” he added. Swiss newspaper Blick said it had obtained a video showing a man running out of the station concourse. Video showed a group of children being directed away from a man running through the street as others streamed across the road. Blick cited an eyewitness as saying the man held a knife, while people around him were screaming and running away. The incident prompted a major police operation, it added. Mario Fehr, security director for the canton of Zurich, described the attack as “a vile terrorist act which I believe was handled very well by the police, who were able to prevent something even worse from happening”. Speaking to reporters, Mr Fehr also praised a teacher who stood in front of her pupils to protect them before the man was arrested. “There were various brave people,” Mr Fehr said, including the teacher who “behaved in an exemplary fashion”. Images from the scene this morning showed a cordon set up and police on hand after the incident, which occurred shortly after 8.30am local time. The station area was temporarily blocked off to allow for “rescue operations”, Swiss channel RSI reported. Police identified the three injured individuals as Swiss citizens aged 28, 43 and 52. Earlier local reports had claimed a single victim was attacked while waiting on the platform for a train. Zurich cantonal police responded alongside Winterthur city police, the SBB transport police, the rescue service of the Winterthur hospital and Zurich protection and rescue teams. Winterthur is a city of around 123,000 residents, located in northeastern Switzerland. Separately, police said two people were injured in an attack at Dietikon train station, the other side of Zurich, on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they launched a manhunt after an unidentified man stole a cash register from a restaurant and fled, attacking two people with “a sharp object” when confronted at the station. A 25-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were taken to hospital.