Swiss police arrest ‘mentally disturbed’ man for pouring gasoline on synagogue
Authorities say 32-year-old ‘acted alone and no extremist motives have been put forward’; suspect detained after fleeing scene when caught by Zurich community’s security guard
A 32-year-old man with mental health issues was arrested on Sunday for allegedly dousing a synagogue in the city of Zurich with gasoline, Swiss police said.
According to the Zurich municipal police’s initial investigations, the Swiss national “acted alone and no extremist motives have been put forward” for the attack.
The suspect spilled gasoline at the synagogue’s entrance on Saturday evening, before being surprised by a member of the Jewish place of worship’s security services.
Police launched a manhunt for the suspect after the man fled the scene on foot, and arrested him early on Sunday morning.
The police added that the suspect “appears to be mentally disturbed.”
A March report by two Swiss antisemitism watchdogs found that violence against Jews in the country had almost tripled since the Gaza war broke out on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
The report came days after a teen stabbed an ultra-Orthodox man in Zurich, leaving him seriously injured. The stabber, who reportedly shouted, “Death to all Jews,” was said to be an Islamic State supporter of Tunisian origin.
