6 people injured in knife attack in Swiss town

Six people have been injured after a series of knife attacks in the town of Zofingen, Canton Aargau on May 15, Swiss police have confirmed. The man alleged to have carried out the attacks is now in custody.

Six people attacked in Zofingen, Canton Aargau

In a statement, police confirmed that six people were randomly attacked by a man wielding a knife on the afternoon of May 15. The emergency services explained that at 4pm on Wednesday, a man wielding a knife was seen attacking a person at Zofingen train station.

The suspect was then said to have fled in the direction of the nearby town of Strengelbach, before attacking passersby again outside a local school. After being confronted by police, the man was seen to flee to a nearby house.

Images taken by the local media showed police surrounding the building with emergency vehicles, with Canton Aargau's special Argus police unit being deployed with assault rifles and bullet-proof vests. However, after negotiations, the man was arrested and taken to hospital for injuries said to be self-inflicted.

Two victims remain in serious condition

According to the Aargau Cantonal Police, a total of six people were injured by the attacker, including two teachers and one pregnant woman. All the injured were taken by ambulance to hospital, where two remain in a serious condition. At the time of writing, no deaths have been reported.

Writing on X, National Councillor and SP co-president Cédric Wermuth, who is a resident of Zofingen, said that he was “shocked by the attack” and that his thoughts were with the victims. He also praised the cantonal police for their swift response.

Attackers' motive and identity remain unclear

So far, authorities have not disclosed specific details about the suspect, though a spokesperson for the State Secretariat for Migration told Radio SRF on Thursday that he was an EU citizen who had applied for asylum on May 13, before withdrawing the request a day later. Police told reporters that he was around 40 years old and acted alone.

Thumb image credit: Michael Derrer Fuchs / Shutterstock.com