Switzerland: Police shoot dead axe-wielding hostage-taker on train
Swiss police have fatally shot a man wielding an axe and a knife, who had seized 15 passengers aboard a train on Thursday night.
The individual, identified as a 32-year-old asylum seeker from Iran, boarded a local train near Yverdon, compelling the driver to halt and join the passengers in the carriage.
Law enforcement officers stormed the train and fatally wounded the assailant after he assaulted them, according to police statements. Fortunately, all hostages were released unharmed.
Passengers on the train alerted authorities, leading to the deployment of over 60 officers, including a special unit from Geneva.
Police, attempting to communicate in English and Farsi, surrounded the train and engaged in several hours of negotiation, but were unsuccessful.
Late at night, when they observed the hostage-taker moving away from the passengers, they stormed the train using stun grenades.
According to police reports, the man attacked the police, at which point they used their firearms to protect the hostages and themselves, and the hostage taker was fatally shot.
Police say the motive for the hostage-taking is unclear. One passenger on the train said the perpetrator appeared “very stressed”.
Local reports say hostages and their families are being supported by the Swiss health service’s psychological department.
Little is known about the man, except that he was originally from Iran and had been assigned to an asylum seeker center in Neuchatel.
Hostage dramas are rare in Switzerland but have previously taken place at banks and businesses. In January 2022, employees at a watch-making firm were taken hostage and forced to open a vault.
