A 29-year-old Portuguese man was attacked with a knife and fatally injured on Saturday evening in Morges in the canton of Vaud. Now the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (BA) has taken over the investigation. It does not rule out a terrorist motive for the crime.
According to an announcement, the suspected perpetrator has been known to the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) since 2017. The suspect is already involved as an accused in criminal proceedings conducted by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland within the framework of the legally binding measures of criminal procedure, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland. The BA informs that no further information will be given at the current time of investigation.As the state radio station “SRF” reports, the suspected perpetrator is a well-known Islamist from the Lausanne area. The man is said to be 26 years old, to have a Swiss passport and to come from a Turkish family. The suspect is said to have contact with several Islamists.According to the report, he had tried to set fire to a filling station in the spring of 2019 in French-speaking Switzerland. According to SRF research, he was remanded in custody. This was extended several times, but ended this summer. According to SRF research, the 26-year-old also had a psychological problem. Apparently, after the release of the accused in July, he was to be admitted to a psychiatric clinic. Why he was not admitted is still unclear.The police were informed on Saturday evening around 9:20 pm that a person was attacked with a knife. Despite the rapid emergency services’ arrival, the 29-year-old died of his injuries. The suspected perpetrator fled, but was arrested on Sunday in Renens canton of Vaud.The crime took place in front of a restaurant.The owner of the store spoke to the newspaper 20 Minuten. The victim sat with eleven people at a table on the terrace. The group was just eating. “A guy came into the store with a knife and stabbed a customer in the back,” said the owner.The victim fell to the ground. The rescue workers who were immediately deployed could not save the man. The shocked restaurant owner continued: “He died on the terrace.” The victim was a regular guest in the restaurant. “He was very nice and pleasant.”An eyewitness told the newspaper “24 Heures”: “The screams of a woman could be heard. The witness continued: “We thought it was an attack or a robbery. But suddenly we saw the man on the ground.” The police officers arrived at the same time as the ambulance, there was nothing more that could be done for the man. “The victim had lost an enormous amount of blood. I am still shaken,” said the witness. Another witness described the assailant as “a man dressed in black and wearing a hood”.In the meantime, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (BA) has taken over the investigation. The background is now being investigated. Within the framework of the current investigations of the BA, there is close cooperation with the responsible authorities of the canton of Vaud, the intelligence services and fedpol.
https://www.20min.ch/story/terrormotiv-bei-toetungsdelikt-in-morges-moeglich-356405923947