In the Swiss city of Winterthur, a man armed with a knife wounded three people at a railway station shortly after being released from a psychiatric clinic. During the attack, he shouted “Allahu Akbar,” according to Bild and Swiss media citing police.
The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. at the station in the city located about 25 kilometers from Zurich. According to preliminary information, the 31-year-old attacker injured passersby aged 28, 43, and 52. Two victims suffered leg wounds, while another sustained a neck injury.
Witnesses told Blick that the man shouted “Allahu Akbar” several times, after which people at the station began fleeing. Taxi driver Turhan Muslu said the attacker attempted to inflict fatal injuries on one passerby, but the victim resisted until police arrived.
Schoolchildren and their teacher witnessed the attack. According to Tages-Anzeiger, the teacher shielded the children with his own body.
Police launched a large-scale operation and detained the suspect near the station. Investigators are now establishing the motives behind the attack.
Zurich canton security chief Mario Fehr described the incident as a terrorist attack.
“This is a person who is clearly suffering from a mental disorder motivated by jihadist ideology,” he said at a press conference.
According to police, several days before the attack the man had called emergency services and was “speaking incoherently.” He was subsequently placed in a psychiatric clinic. However, the day before the attack, his attending physician reportedly concluded that the patient no longer posed a threat and allowed him to leave the facility.
Police said the suspect holds Swiss and Turkish citizenship. About ten years ago, he appeared in an investigation into possible links between the An’Nur mosque and radical Islamist movements.
The mosque’s imam had been accused of calling for the killing of Muslims who failed to follow religious rules. The suspect himself had previously been investigated for allegedly violating Switzerland’s ban on ISIS activity and spreading propaganda for the group.
In addition, a police complaint had already been filed against him in 2018 following a fight.
According to Fehr, the man was born in Switzerland, obtained US citizenship in 2009, and moved to Turkey in 2024. He returned to Switzerland in May this year.
Cantonal authorities believe the radicalization may have taken place during his stay in Turkey. Fehr also said authorities intend to seek revocation of the suspect’s citizenship.
“We want such people to leave the country,” he said.