Swiss train hostage situation: Suspect arms himself with axe and knife

A hostage situation unfolded on a train in west Switzerland on Thursday night (Feb 8), with passengers taken hostage by a man armed with an axe and a knife.

The situation ended after the police raided the train and killed the suspect, said the authorities. The hostages were freed.

The hostage-taker was speaking in English and Farsi, said Vaud canton police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel, at a press conference.

"At this stage of the investigation, the motives of the perpetrator are not known," Sauterel said.

He added that the identity of the hostage-taker was still not officially confirmed, and the checks were being carried out.

A police officer shot the man after he allegedly rushed towards him with an axe in the hand.

The suspect had taken a total of 15 hostages - 14 passengers and the conductor - and the ordeal continued forfour hours, from around 6:35 pm to 10:30 pm local time.

The conductor of the train was forced by the suspect to stop running it near Yverdon and join the passengers who had alerted the police officials about the situation.

Police officials negotiated with the suspect via WhatsApp

The negotiations with the suspect happened through WhatsApp and using a translator, as he spoke in Farsi.

Finally, the authorities stormed inside the train and executed a plan to free the hostages from the suspect, as per Sauterel.

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Hostage situations rarely take place in Switzerland but do occur occasionally.

In January 2022, a couple and two employees of a company were taken hostage by criminals in an attempt to get access to vaults where precious metals were kept but ultimately fled without taking the loot.

In November 2021, a watch company's director and members of his family were taken hostage at his home and the criminals stole gold.

(With inputs from agencies)