Swiss prosecutors said on Wednesday (October 2) that a Chinese man stabbed three five-year-old boys in Zurich on Tuesday, and these young victims are now out of danger. Furthermore, local media have revealed more information about the suspect.
The attack occurred in a residential area in the Oerlikon district, the largest city in Switzerland.
Zurich prosecutors said on Wednesday that the 23-year-old Chinese man arrested at the scene confessed to the crime during questioning. The man has been studying in Switzerland since mid-2023, but authorities did not provide more details.
The prosecutor stated that the presumption of innocence will be applied until all legal procedures have concluded. They added that there is currently no evidence of accomplices or co-perpetrators, but the investigation is still ongoing intensively.
The prosecutor’s office stated that they have submitted an application to the court to detain the suspect pending trial.
“Three five-year-old boys were injured,” the prosecutor said on Wednesday, “their lives are now out of danger.”
Police said that on Tuesday, a daycare worker was leading several children to the daycare center when a Chinese man suddenly attacked the children with a knife on their way.
“The daycare worker immediately reacted and, with the help of a man, subdued the attacker,” the police said.
Mirco Bruhwiler, 38, who works near the scene of the incident, told “20 Minuten” that when he heard screams, he rushed out and held onto the suspect until the police arrived.
He explained that he usually hears children singing as they pass by, but on Tuesday, he suddenly heard “their screams for help.”
Bruhwiler said the suspect was calm and sitting on the ground at that time.
“I thought I had to grab him so he wouldn’t escape, so I held onto him tightly,” Bruhwiler said.
The report also mentioned that a woman from the daycare center used her foot to press down on the knife used by the suspect.
“20 Minuten” later filmed a police force entering a residential building not far from the attack scene, stating that the suspect lived in a one-bedroom apartment.
Stabbing incidents are rare in Switzerland, and attacks involving children are even rarer.
However, in China, stabbing incidents have increased exponentially in recent years, including deadly attacks specifically targeting schools.
Local media outlet “The Local” reported that while authorities have not disclosed the suspect’s name, it is understood that the suspect is a master’s student at the University of Zurich and resides in student dormitories near the campus.
The exact motive behind his stabbing actions remains elusive.
But before the attack, on October 1st around noon, the suspect posted a long text on social media.
In the post, he first described a fantasy with a woman, expressing how much he missed her and the time they spent together.
The post then mentioned his love for the Chinese Communist Party and the ruling party.
The media mentioned that October 1st is the National Day of the People’s Republic of China and questioned the possible correlation between this date and the suspect’s behavior that day.
Local media reports suggest that students who have seen the suspect find his actions shocking, especially because they found him to be quiet and introverted.
On social media, netizens pointed out a social media account named “Fan Yuhao,” which aligns with clues provided by the police and media.
Fan Yuhao is pursuing a master’s degree in computational linguistics at the University of Zurich.
Fan Yuhao posted on Instagram, stating that he is a Chinese nationalist. In a post uploaded 5 days ago, he expressed anger over recent discussions at the University of Zurich about Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Fan Yuhao previously studied at Southwest University in Chongqing, China.