In Switzerland, police ended a hostage-taking on a regional train late on Thursday evening. The perpetrator was shot and none of the hostages were injured. Nothing is yet known about the possible motive.
A man took several passengers on a Swiss regional train hostage for hours on Thursday. The police ended the hostage-taking late in the evening. The perpetrator was shot and none of the hostages were injured.
The emergency call reached the police later in the afternoon. A man had taken 15 hostages – 14 passengers and the train driver, according to Swiss Attorney General Eric Kaltenrieder. According to the police, the hostage taker was a 32-year-old asylum seeker from Iran who was armed with an ax and a knife.
No information on a possible motive
The train, which was traveling on the line between Baulmes and Yverdon-les-Bains, came to a stop with its doors locked at the Essert-sous-Champvent stop in French-speaking western Switzerland. Around 60 police forces surrounded the train. An attempt was made to negotiate with the hostage taker with the help of an interpreter. The police and public prosecutor’s office have not yet provided any information about the perpetrator’s possible motive.
At around 10:15 p.m. the police decided to intervene. Explosives were also used on the train to distract the perpetrator. According to the police, the hostage taker stormed towards emergency services with the axe. The police then opened fire and the perpetrator was “fatally injured”. The hostages were able to get off the train unharmed.
Kathrin Hondl, ARD Geneva, tagesschau, February 9, 2024 9:31 a.m