A knife attack at a railway station in Switzerland, in which three people were injured, has been classified as a terrorist act by police following the arrest of a suspect who had previously been reported for spreading propaganda of the Islamic State.

Police said they arrested the alleged attacker, a 31-year-old man with Swiss and Turkish citizenship from Winterthur, a city in the northern outskirts of Zurich. The attack took place around 09:30 Greek time.

Video from the incident:

🔴 INFO – #Suisse : Une attaque au couteau s’est produite à la gare de #Winterthur en Suisse. Plusieurs personnes ont été blessées selon les premiers témoignages. Des témoins affirment avoir entendu l’assaillant crier « Allahu Akbar ». Le suspect a été interpellé par la police.… pic.twitter.com/6t9JoRRMyM

— FranceNews24 (@FranceNews24) May 28, 2026

Mario Fehr, security director of the canton of Zurich, described the attack as a “horrific terrorist act which was handled very well by the police, who managed to prevent something even worse from happening.”

Fehr, speaking at a press conference, praised a teacher who stood in front of her students to protect them before the man was arrested.

“There were several brave people,” Fehr said, including the teacher who “acted in an exemplary manner.”

Zurich cantonal police commander Marius Wegermann said that in 2015 there had been reports to police regarding the suspect for spreading propaganda on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist organization. In 2018, he had also been involved in a fight.

He is reportedly a fervent ISIS supporter.

He had lived for two years in Turkey, returning to Switzerland this year.

“The motive for this act must be sought in the sphere of radicalization and extremism,” Wegermann noted.

Winterthur was one of the main recruitment centers for ISIS foreign fighters in Switzerland, particularly between 2014 and 2016. The city has a mosque, An’Nur, which was linked to cases of radicalization. Many young men who attended it or were associated with youth circles reportedly traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS.

The three victims of the attack—all men aged 28, 43, and 52—are hospitalized, according to police. One was stabbed in the leg, another in the neck, and the third in the thigh.