Five people were stabbed or suffered burns during an attack by a Swiss man on a train nearing Salez station in St Gallen in northeast Switzerland.
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Police said that they found no indication of terrorism after searching the man’s home in a region neighbouring the site of the attack at Salez, near the Liechtenstein border.
It occured at 14h20 local time between the communes of Buchs and Sennwald.
Pictures published by Swiss media on Sunday showed burned-out seats in front of a blackened window, the chairs covered with ash and the upholstery burnt to a crisp, while on the platform was a pool of blood.
The attacker has also died, they added. Some of the injured were said to be in a serious condition.
The victims included two men aged 17 and 50, three women aged 17, 34 and 43 and a six-year-old girl, police said. Some of the injuries were said to be serious but there were no further details immediately. “As far as we now know, he acted alone”.
Neighbours described the attacker as a “loner”, who was tall, thin and lanky, with glasses, the paper said.
He said it was unclear if the attacker knew any of the victims.
Six people were injured after the man set fire to a train carriage and stabbed several passengers on board on 13 August.
Coming after a string of deadly attacks in Europe, the Swiss train attack again illustrates how hard it is for authorities to protect the continent’s labyrinthine transport system, particularly against individuals often wielding unsophisticated and readily available weapons.
“His intervention probably prevented worse”, Kruesi told the Blick daily.
The authorities searched the home of the man, who didn’t have a criminal record in St. Gallen or his neighboring home canton, but the results weren’t made public.
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Police also said that some 90 rescue workers had taken part in yesterday’s operation, including 3 rescue helicopters, ambulances fire fighters and police.
