Three people have been wounded in a knife attack at a railway station in Winterthur, near Zurich in northern Switzerland, and a suspect has been arrested.
The attack took place at around 8.30am today at Winterthur station, according to police. The suspect is a 31-year-old Swiss man, who was detained at the scene.
The three people hurt are Swiss nationals aged 28, 43 and 52, police said. All have been taken to hospital.
One of them is in a life-threatening condition while the other two suffered moderate injuries, local broadcaster blue News reported, citing police. Passers-by raised the alarm and gave first aid before emergency services arrived.
Winterthur city police confirmed the operation, and the Zurich cantonal force has since taken over the investigation. The cantonal police said: “The motive for the crime is the subject of ongoing investigations.”
Officers gave no detail on the background to the attack and did not say whether it was being treated as terror-related.
An eyewitness told the newspaper Tages-Anzeiger that the attacker had shouted “Allahu Akbar” — an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great” — during the assault. A second witness gave a similar account, though police had not confirmed the reports.
One witness described a teacher who stood in front of her pupils to shield them as the attack unfolded. Another said she had seen a blade on the ground that looked like a sharp, serrated kitchen knife.
Swiss newspaper Blick reported that it had obtained video footage appearing to show a man running from the station concourse. The incident prompted a large police operation, with parts of the station cordoned off, Reuters reported.
blue News noted that unverified claims about the suspect had spread on social media, and that the presumption of innocence applies to the man in custody.
Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, though the landlocked country lies at the heart of the continent and is bound to the bloc by a web of bilateral agreements.
Knife attacks in public places have become a recurring worry across several European countries in recent years, with stations and other transport hubs among the sites affected.
The investigation is continuing.
