A knife attack at the train station in Winterthur, a city 25 kilometres northeast of Zurich, has been officially classified as a terrorist act by regional authorities. Three people were wounded in the incident, which occurred shortly after 8:30 AM on Thursday morning during the morning rush hour.
Mario Fehr, the security director for the canton of Zurich, told reporters that he was "exceptionally calling this a terrorist attack." He added that it was "clear from the scene that the motive for this act must be sought in the realm of radicalisation and extremism." The suspect, identified by police as a 31-year-old Swiss national, was arrested at the scene.
Attack Details and Response
According to Zurich cantonal police, the assailant used a bladed weapon to injure three individuals, all Swiss citizens aged 28, 43, and 52. All three were taken to hospital, with one reported to be in serious condition, according to police spokesman Roger Bonetti. Witnesses described scenes of panic and confusion as the attack unfolded during the busy morning period.
Images broadcast by Swiss media and circulated on social media showed a man with long dark hair and a full beard running in front of the station, shouting "Allahu akbar" while raising his right hand. Several witnesses reported he was armed with a knife.
A 65-year-old taxi driver named Turhan Muslu told the Blick newspaper that he witnessed the attack. "It all happened so fast. If those security guards hadn't (arrived) so quickly, I don't know what would have happened," he said.
Basharat Iqbal, another taxi driver who arrived at the station after the attack, expressed shock to the AFP news agency: "This is not OK. We want peace."
Rare Violence in Switzerland
Attacks targeting random passers-by are uncommon in Switzerland, and the incident has shaken the local community. The Zurich cantonal police are cooperating with Winterthur municipal police, Swiss Federal Railways' transport police, and emergency services. Multiple police cordons were set up inside and outside the station, as seen in images published by local media.
This event comes amid broader concerns about security in European transport hubs. In a separate incident, a train collision with a school bus in Buggenhout, Belgium left multiple victims, highlighting the ongoing challenges of public safety on the continent.
The investigation into the suspect's motive continues, with authorities focusing on potential links to radicalisation. The incident underscores the persistent threat of lone-actor attacks in Europe, even in countries with historically low rates of violent crime.
