In custody

Zurich knife attacker (15) confesses to IS

The Agudas Achim Synagogue in Zurich

(Bild: AFP)

The 15-year-old who allegedly attacked an orthodox Jew (50) with a knife in Zurich is now in custody. In a confessional video, he expressed solidarity with the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) and called for a "worldwide fight against Jews".

Whether the Swiss national of Tunisian origin is an individual perpetrator or has links to a group is still being investigated. In a confessional video, he now comments on his crime in Arabic. In it, he calls for a "worldwide fight against Jews" and expresses solidarity with the Islamic State (IS). The teenager has been a naturalized Swiss citizen since 2011.

Security Director: "Cowardly attack"
Cantonal Security Director Mario Fehr spoke of a "cowardly attack" and an "act of terrorism". "Someone was stabbed solely because of their religion." The victim, a 50-year-old Orthodox Jewish man, is no longer in danger of dying. He had to undergo emergency surgery in hospital and his condition has since improved.

Someone was stabbed solely because of his religion.

Sicherheitsdirektor Mario Fehr

According to the Zurich "Tagesanzeiger", the attack took place on Saturday evening shortly after 9.30 p.m. near the synagogue of the Jewish community in the Enge district. When the man rang the doorbell for relatives on his way home, but then did not show up at the apartment, they discovered the injured man outside the entrance to the house. The police were able to arrest the suspect at the scene.

Most serious attack in more than 20 years
Witnesses reported that he had shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") and "Death to all Jews" shortly before the attack. The attack is the most serious attack on a Jewish person in Switzerland for more than 20 years. Back then, the still unsolved murder of Rabbi Abraham Grünbaum in Zurich in June 2001 caused shock among the population.