The main hearing against the 29-year-old woman from Ticino who attacked two women with a knife, some of them causing serious injuries, at the Grandi Magazzini Manor Sud SA in Lugano on November 24, 2020 started in Bellinzona this morning. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland assumes a terrorist motive.
The accused appeared at the start of the trial dressed entirely in black and initially refused to remove her head veil, as requested by the presiding federal criminal judge, Fiorenza Bergomi. She declared that she is a Muslim and that the court should respect this. Only after consulting with her defence lawyers did she remove her head veil.
The Ticino woman is charged with multiple attempted murders, violation of Article 2 of the Federal Law on the Prohibition of the Groups “Al-Qaida” and “Islamic State” and related organisations, and unlawful practice of prostitution, according to Article 199 SCC.
The interrogation of the accused revealed the profile of a young woman who had experienced one calamity after another in her life and suffered from serious psychological problems. Until the age of seven she was plagued by epileptic seizures, later she suffered from anorexia. She attended a special school.
At the age of 17, she became pregnant. She became a mother when she was almost of age, but the child was adopted by her parents. She married the father of the child, an Afghan national. At the beginning, the marriage was stable. Later, the husband allegedly beat and sexually abused his wife, as she explained in court. She then filed for divorce. Because of her psychological problems, she was often under treatment, received social assistance, and was later recognised 100 per cent by the social security system.
Late in the morning, she explained to the court how she had become close to Islam and had fallen in love with a Syrian fighter. The video calls with the man could last several hours, according to the accused.
The trial will continue this afternoon.