Victim seriously injured

Zurich: 15-year-old stabs orthodox Jew to death

A 15-year-old stabbed an orthodox Jew in Zurich on Saturday evening. The Swiss police arrested the suspect at the scene, as they announced on Sunday night.

The victim's injuries were initially life-threatening. The 50-year-old had to be taken to hospital. The police asked any witnesses to come forward.

The background and the course of events are unclear. The ongoing investigations by the Zurich cantonal police and the responsible youth prosecutor's office are looking in all directions and explicitly include the possibility of an anti-Semitically motivated crime, it was reported.

Police tighten security measures
The man's condition has stabilized, wrote Zurich local councillor Jehuda Spielman, who says he knows the man who was attacked, on Platform X (see post below). According to the police, security measures at Jewish institutions in Zurich have been tightened.

In a statement, the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) said it was "deeply shocked that a member of the community was the victim of such an attack". The security organizations of the Jewish community in Zurich as well as nationwide have been informed.

"This case really is a new dimension"
SIG Secretary General Jonathan Kreutner expressed his shock on Swiss television. "It is very rare for there to be physical attacks on Jews in Switzerland. A case like this really is a new dimension." According to the police, security has been tightened at Jewish institutions in Zurich.

On Sunday evening, several hundred people gathered for a vigil. Many carried yellow umbrellas, which are considered a symbol against anti-Semitism.