On 8 February 2023, a man armed with an axe, a hammer and a knife held 13 people hostage on a train near the Swiss town of Yverdon-les-Bains, reported RTS.
The man, an asylum seeker from Iran, was initially tasered by police as he ran towards them armed. After failing to stop he was fatally shot by another officer. The incident started at around 18:35 on a train between the towns of Yverdon-las-Bains and Baulmes and ended with a police intervention at 22:15.
The hostages included 12 passengers and train engineer. None of them were hurt according to a police press release.
The 32-year old Iranian man was applying for asylum in Geneva. According to various reports he was in a fragile mental state and suffered from paranoia. During the standoff he demanded contact with a staff member at the asylum centre in Geneva.
According to RTS, his asylum application was open and its success uncertain. In addition, the man had demonstrated paranoia during interviews, believing someone had cast spells on him and had possibly poisoned his food. In June 2023 he went missing. A communique was released describing him as at risk of suicide. He had no police record. He then reappeared in January at the Boudry federal asylum centre in Neuchâtel where his asylum application was reopened.
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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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