A Turkish man stabbed three people in front of a class of children outside a Swiss train station Thursday before yelling “Allahu Akbar!” (Arabic for God is great) in what authorities are calling an “act of terror.”
The 31-year-old dual Swiss-Turk national fled the scene wielding a “bladed weapon,” according to the Zurich police report. He was arrested five minutes after emergency officials were alerted, regional police chief Marius Weyermann told The Associated Press.
The attack occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. outside the Winterthur train station in Switzerland, where children and pedestrians could be seen fleeing. A witness heard a man “shout ‘Allahu Akbar!’ five or six times, very emotionally and agitatedly,” the news agency Blick reported. (RELATED: ‘You Are Not Welcome Here’: Dearborn’s Muslim Mayor Under Fire For Rant At Christian Resident)
The Islamic phrase “Allahu Akbar” is commonly shouted by Muslims before terrorist acts.
DAS IST NICHT MEHR UNSERE SCHWEIZ!!!
Ein islamistischer #Attentäter ruft «Allahu Akbar» und sticht mit einem Messer auf Passanten am Bahnhof #Winterthur – direkt vor einer Schulklasse mit kleinen Kindern. Entsetzlich. Wer die #Schweiz liebt, akzeptiert das nicht! pic.twitter.com/bAst46NOtZ
— Nils Fiechter (@NilsFiechter) May 28, 2026
Three Swiss men, aged 28, 43 and 52, were rushed to the hospital in emergency vehicles. Weyermann said the first two were released and the third remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery on his thigh.
“The motive for the attack is currently under investigation,” Zurich police said. Officials believe the man acted alone.
Weyermann told The Associated Press that the suspect previously distributed Islamic State propaganda, gaining the attention of officials in 2015. He was recently taken to a psychiatric clinic after making confused calls to the police, according to local reports, but was released after a doctor determined he was not dangerous.
The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, is a transnational jihadist terrorist organization. The U.S. Intelligence Community determined the group remains “the world’s largest Islamic terrorist organization” in 2025. (RELATED: Ilhan Omar-Backed New Jersey Democratic Candidate Reportedly Volunteered For Al-Qaida Affiliate)
The suspect was allegedly part of the now-closed An’Nur Mosque. He has two brothers who were also radicalized, Blick reported.
Zurich region’s top security official said the suspect gained Swiss citizenship in 2009, but spent much of the last two years in Turkey, AP reported.
A press conference is planned for Thursday afternoon local time, the Zurich Cantonal police told Fox News.
The Winterthur City Police did not respond immediately to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
