by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (Worthy News) – A suspected Islamic extremist armed with a knife stabbed three men in front of schoolchildren at a train station near Zurich, Switzerland’s financial capital, officials said Thursday.
Shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah is greatest”), the man went on a rampage in what authorities later described as a “heinous act of terrorism.” Video footage obtained by Worthy News appeared to confirm those findings.
The attacker, described as a 31-year-old Turkish-Swiss citizen, stabbed three men with a “bladed weapon” shortly after 8:30 a.m. at the Winterthur train station outside Zurich, the Zurich Cantonal Police said.
One witness told local outlet Blick that the man shouted “Allahu Akbar” “five or six times in a very emotional and agitated manner” as three men, ages 28, 43, and 52, were injured in the attack.
The attack occurred in Winterthur, a city about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of Zurich that is connected to the country’s financial capital by one of Switzerland’s busiest rail corridors.
TERROR INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
The 52-year-old underwent emergency surgery after being stabbed in the thigh, while the 43-year-old suffered a neck injury and has since been released from the hospital, police commander Marius Weyermann told reporters. The 28-year-old victim was expected to leave the hospital soon.
Mario Fehr, head of Switzerland’s Department of Security, praised the swift police response, saying officers likely prevented an even greater tragedy.
“Thanks to their swift intervention, something worse was prevented,” Fehr said, describing the stabbings as a “heinous act of terrorism.”
Authorities said the suspect carried out the attack just three days after being admitted to a psychiatric unit in Winterthur.
Weyermann said the man had earlier made “incoherent statements” but initially showed no signs of violent behavior, only apparent delusions.
ISIS LINKS RAISE QUESTIONS
The suspect reportedly left the psychiatric facility voluntarily on Tuesday before later being readmitted. On Wednesday, a doctor reportedly ruled that he posed no danger to himself or others, allowing him to leave again.
Swiss authorities said the suspect had been known to police since 2015 for violating Switzerland’s ban on the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.
According to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, he allegedly spread ISIS propaganda and received radical Islamist content.
Officials said the man applied to renew his Swiss passport in 2024 before moving to Turkey in August that year.
Security chief Fehr said the suspect returned to Switzerland earlier this month after having “disappeared for two years.”
ATTACKS REMAIN RELATIVELY RARE
Authorities have not disclosed details about the knife used in the attack, though officials confirmed that the blade broke during the rampage.
Swiss officials noted that such attacks remain relatively rare in Switzerland compared to some neighboring European countries, though authorities have increased monitoring of radicalized individuals in recent years amid broader security concerns across Europe.
Police also declined to provide details about how the suspect was apprehended, other than saying officers detained him within minutes.
Eyewitnesses said a group of schoolchildren had just passed the attacker moments before a teacher intervened to protect the minors.
“He had a knife in his hand,” one witness told Blick. “Everyone was screaming and running away.”
SCHOOLCHILDREN ESCAPE ATTACK
Police established a large security perimeter around the station as investigators examined the scene and gathered evidence.
As of the latest reports Thursday evening, investigators were continuing to question the suspect and examine possible extremist motives, while authorities said there was no indication of additional attackers or an ongoing threat to the public.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.