The assailant attacked children who were in a street in a residential area in the north of the city, shortly after noon, municipal police said in a statement.
A daycare employee who accompanied the group of children immediately reacted and managed to subdue the 23-year-old young man with the help of a man present on the scene, until the police arrived. .
A “seriously injured” boy as well as two “less seriously injured” five-year-old boys received first aid on the spot and were then transported to hospital, police said.
The attacker was taken to a police station.
The suspect “is being questioned,” police spokeswoman Judith Höhle said during a press briefing in front of the daycare.
“We cannot yet give details on the motivations,” she said.
At the end of the afternoon (Swiss time), several streets in the neighborhood were still cordoned off by police cordons, noted an AFP journalist.
But the danger has passed, the police stressed.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the group was on its way to an activity center and that is when the young man “attacked the children with a knife”.
Only his age and nationality have been disclosed so far.
Children’s cries
Apart from the three children, no other person was injured, a spokesperson for the municipal police, Pascal Siegenthaler, told AFP.
The remainder of the investigation is being carried out by the Zurich cantonal police and the public prosecutor’s office.
The attack took place on a quiet, tree-lined street in the Oerlikon district of Zurich, a city located in the north of the Alpine country.
“I heard children screaming, then many police officers arrived,” a witness told local television TeleZüri.
Daily life Blick collected the testimony of a father: “I don’t know if my son is okay! The police sent me away again. I don’t know where my son is, they only told me he wasn’t hurt, but I can’t see him.
According to the police, psychological support teams were made available.
She also accompanied residents of the neighborhood, where there is a migration service office for obtaining permits and residence cards.
Without waiting for the conclusions of the investigation, the radical right party Democratic Center Union (UDC), the leading political force in the Alpine country, immediately commented on the attack, highlighting the fact that the attacker is a foreigner.
“If you are fed up with imported crime and asylum abuse, sign the Border Protection Initiative NOW!” wrote the UDC on the social network X. A text accompanied by an image of two hands firmly holding a large knife.
This type of attack against the population is extremely rare in Switzerland, where stabbing attacks are more linked to crime and personal conflicts.
Related News :