An Orthodox Jewish man, 50, on Saturday night was stabbed and then left critically wounded in Zurich, Switzerland’s Selnau area, local media reported. Preliminary accounts indicated that the aggressor shouted “Death to the Jews” and/or “Death to Israel.” The attack took place shortly after the end of Shabbat.
?Breaking news – there has been a Terror attack just now in #Zurich Switzerland.
An Orthodox Jewish man has been stabbed and is in critical condition.
A Man was allegedly heard shouting “Death to all Jews Allah Akbar”. pic.twitter.com/dn9uYlZDZP
— JIX5A (@JIX5A) March 2, 2024
According to Zurich city police, a 15-year-old assailant who was responsible for the attack has been apprehended, and an investigation has been initiated. Witnesses described the scene of the assailant’s apprehension, with one observer recalling that “the perpetrator chuckled upon being apprehended.”
The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) urged Swiss Jews to exercise caution even though there is no immediate security threat. The federation announced that security measures in the Jewish community are under review.
“The SIG is deeply shocked that a community member fell victim to such an attack. Physical attacks on Jewish people in Switzerland are very rare. The Jewish community has been spared from such life-threatening attacks for the past two decades. However, there has been a significant increase in such physical attacks since October 7th,” the federation said, adding, “The SIG’s thoughts are with the victim and his relatives. We pray for a full and speedy recovery.”
