Several injured in knife attack outside Swiss train station

Several people were injured in a stabbing attack outside a railway station in the Swiss city of Winterthur after a man reportedly shouting “Allahu Akbar” launched an assault during the morning rush hour, The Telegraph reports.

Police arrested a 31-year-old Swiss national near the station shortly after the incident, which occurred at around 8:30 a.m. local time in Winterthur, approximately 20 kilometres northeast of Zurich.

According to local authorities, at least four people were injured in the attack, three of whom were taken to hospital. One victim reportedly sustained serious injuries, while two others were moderately wounded. Swiss media reported that one man waiting for a train was stabbed in the thigh.

Roger Bonetti, a spokesperson for Zurich cantonal police, confirmed the suspect’s arrest, telling the newspaper 20 Minuten: “The perpetrator was arrested by the police.”

Bonetti added that the motive behind the attack was “still under investigation.”

Video footage circulating online appeared to show a heavily built man running outside the entrance to Winterthur station while shouting “Allahu Akbar” and holding a knife. The footage also showed commuters fleeing the area in panic, including a group of primary school children.

“I arrived at the train station around 8.20am,” one witness said. “About 30 metres away, I heard a man behind me shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ five or six times. He sounded extremely emotional and agitated.”

The witness said people rushed to find cover and claimed it took several minutes for police to arrive at the scene.

Other witnesses described seeing one injured man with a bandage around his neck and another victim lying on the ground outside the station. One local resident said a teacher shielded a group of schoolchildren who were passing through the area during the attack.

Dozens of emergency personnel responded to the incident, while police cordoned off the area and erected privacy screens near the station entrance as investigations continued.

By Vafa Guliyeva