A knifeman shouting “Allahu Akbar” repeatedly stabbed three people in front of a group of schoolchildren at a Swiss train station on Thursday morning.
The attacker, identified as a 31-year-old Swiss national, used a bladed weapon to stab three men shortly after 8:30 a.m. at Winterthur train station, located outside Zurich, according to the Zurich Cantonal Police.
Eyewitnesses reported that a group of schoolchildren had walked past the knife-wielding man moments before the attack, with a teacher stepping in to shield the vulnerable minors from harm.
“He had a knife in his hand,” a witness told Blick. “Everyone was screaming and running away.”
Video shared online by Swiss politician Nils Fiechter showed the disheveled man sprinting down the street with one hand raised, screaming “Allahu Akbar” as terrified children were hurried to safety.
Officers arrested the suspected attacker at the train station and took him to a nearby police station across the street.
A student passing through the station witnessed the attack from less than 100 feet away.
“I heard a man behind me shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ five or six times in a very emotional and agitated manner,” the witness told Blick.
Police arrived at the station within minutes of the attack.
“Looking back, I got goosebumps,” the witness said.
The three victims — Swiss men aged 28, 43, and 52 — were taken to the hospital following the attack, police confirmed.
Authorities revealed no motive for the shocking daylight assault as they established a large perimeter around the station to carry out their investigation.
This is a developing story.
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