Central banker hammer attacker denied release

The victim was attending a meeting at Basel's Bank for International Settlements when hewas attacked in 2022. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has found no reason to respond to a complaint from the perpetrator of a hammer attack in Basel’s Centralbahnplatz.

The man, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, had applied to be released from prison.

In June 2022, the complainant hit the French central bank chief François Villeroy de Galhau with a hammer and seriously injured him. In its verdict in March, the criminal court of canton of Basel-City concluded that the man was innocent of attempted intentional homicide. It therefore ordered inpatient psychiatric therapy.

In its verdict, the criminal court extended the preventive detention, as can be seen from a ruling by the Supreme Court published on Monday. This was subsequently extended again. The Basel judges rejected the prisoner’s request for release because there was a risk of repeat offences.

The Federal Supreme Court issued no response to the complaint of the prisoner because it did not meet the legal requirements. In particular, the man did not address the issue of repeat offence risk. He denies being the perpetrator, insisting that a person walking behind him committed the crime.

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