Axe-wielding man is killed by police after seizing 15 hostages on Swiss train

Swiss police say a 32-year-old Iranian asylum-seeker was killed by police after he used an axe and a knife to grab greater than a dozen hostages for a number of hours on a practice in western Switzerland. No passengers had been injured and authorities don’t suspect terrorism.

The person took the hostages early Thursday night and police, alerted by passengers, sealed off the world whereas the practice was stopped within the city of Essert-sous-Champvert, police within the French-speaking Vaud area mentioned Friday.

The person, talking Farsi and English, demanded that the practice engineer be part of the 15 hostages. Officers negotiated with the suspect on WhatsApp with the assistance of a Farsi translator.

Almost 4 hours after the incident started, police stormed the practice. Greater than 60 police had been concerned, police said in a statement.

“The hostages had been all freed protected and sound,” police mentioned. “The hostage-taker was mortally injured throughout the operation.”

Vincent Derouand, a spokesperson for the Vaud prosecutors’ workplace, mentioned an investigation was underway partly to find out the person’s motive.

“Nothing factors us in direction of a terrorist act or a jihadist act,” police spokesperson Jean-Christophe Sauterel informed Swiss press.

AFP contributed to this report.