A man suspected of attacking three individuals at a train station in Switzerland on Thursday morning has been arrested, according to Zurich Cantonal Police.
“About 30 meters away, I heard a man behind me shout ‘Allahu akbar’ five or six times, very emotionally and agitatedly,” one witness reportedly recalled to the outlet Blick.
“Shortly after 8:30 a.m., a man injured three people with a bladed weapon at Winterthur train station. The suspected perpetrator was arrested by police. He is a 31-year-old Swiss national,” Zurich Cantonal Police said. The three wounded Swiss nationals, ages 28, 43 and 52, were transported to the hospital, according to the release.
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The Associated Press reported that the incident occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m. The suspect, who was arrested five minutes after emergency services were alerted, is a 31-year-old Swiss-Turkish dual national who lives in Winterthur, regional police chief Marius Weyermann said.
The man had drawn authorities’ attention in 2015 for disseminating Islamic State propaganda, Weyermann noted, according to the AP. More recently, he was sent to a psychiatric facility after calling the police emergency number and delivering “confused comments,” but he departed on Wednesday after a doctor ruled he was not dangerous.
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Two of the victims were discharged or about to be released from hospitals by mid-afternoon, Wyermann noted, according to the AP, while the 52-year-old remained hospitalized following surgery on a thigh injury.
Zurich region top security official Mario Fehr characterized the episode as “an evil act of terror,” according to the AP, which reported that the official noted that the suspect was born in Switzerland, obtained citizenship in 2009 and apparently was in Turkey during much of the last two years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report