Swiss suspect terror link in department store attack in Lugano

A Swiss woman seized a woman by the neck and injured another in the neck with a serrated knife in a department store in the southern Swiss city of Lugano on Tuesday in what federal prosecutors called a suspected terror attack.

Ticino cantonal police said the attack was over and the suspect, a 28-year-old who lives in the area, was in custody.

One victim sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries and another was lightly injured.

“A department store in Lugano was the scene of a suspected terrorist-motivated attack on several people,” the federal Office of the Attorney General said in a statement.

“In this context, one person with Swiss citizenship was arrested and is now in custody… The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has opened criminal proceedings against this person,” it added.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz condemned the attack on Twitter.

“I fully condemn today’s Islamist terrorist attack in Lugano. My thoughts are with the victims wishing them a full & swift recovery. We stand with Switzerland in these difficult hours. We’ll give a joint response to Islamist terrorism in Europe and defend our values,” Kurz said.

Norman Gobbi, president of the cantonal government of Ticino where Lugano is located, said on twitter Switzerland was a peaceful country and Ticino a safe place.

“All the more reason to strongly condemn this absurd violence, motivated by extremism that cannot find a place in our community,” Gobbi said.

(Reuters)