Swiss assailant sets fire and stabs people on a train, injuring 6 and himself

Reporting from BERLIN —  Police in Switzerland say a man set a fire and stabbed people on a train in the country’s northeast, wounding six people as well as himself.

The incident happened at 2:20 p.m. Saturday as the train neared the station in Salez, near the border with Liechtenstein, police said.

The 27-year-old Swiss suspect had at least one knife and poured out a flammable liquid, which caught fire, police said.

Police spokesman Bruno Metzger said the assailant poured the liquid on a woman, and that it appeared to have caught fire when it came into contact with oxygen.

Police said the wounded include a 6-year-old child, three women aged 17, 34 and 43, and two men aged 17 and 50. Some of the injuries were said to be serious.

Police were investigating the attacker’s motive. Switzerland’s 20 Minuten newspaper reported on its website that police did not believe the incident was terrorist-related.

In addition to a large police presence, the local fire department responded along with three rescue helicopters, two emergency doctors, three ambulances and railroad authorities.

A preliminary estimate said that the train suffered $103,000 in damage.

In July, a teenage refugee from Afghanistan armed with an ax and knife attacked four tourists on a German train, then stabbed a woman as he fled from the train. All survived. Police shot and killed the attacker.

Last September, a heavily armed gunman opened fire on a high-speed Amsterdam-Paris train, but he was overpowered by two young American soldiers and their companion.

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UPDATES:

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 11 a.m.