Swiss police kill axe-wielding hostage taker on train

Swiss police said a 32-year-old Iranian asylum seeker armed with an axe and a knife held 15 hostages on a train between Baulmes and Yverdon-les-Bains for almost four hours, until police stormed the train and killed the man late on Thursday.

“The hostages were all released unharmed,” police in the Vaud canton said in a statement on Friday. “The hostage taker was fatally wounded during the intervention.”

Police did not provide any details regarding the perpetrator’s possible motives.

Hostage situations are rare in Switzerland but have occurred at banks and businesses. In January 2022, employees of a watch making firm were taken hostage and forced to open a vault containing precious metals.