Winterthur extremism unit unable to prevent knife attack

The scene of a knife attack in May Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The Winterthur extremism unit alerted the Swiss city’s police about 13 cases of potential violence or self-harm last year. But the unit was unable to prevent a train station knife attack last month.

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For almost ten years, the specialist unit has been advising schools, parents, teaching staff, and authorities in cases of suspected radicalisation. “Unfortunately, even the best prevention cannot avert tragic incidents,” wrote local politician Nicolas Galladé in the unit’s annual report. The knife attack on May 28 shocked everyone.

The work of the Centre for Extremism and Violence Prevention (FSEG) is particularly important in the current climate. “We must stay on top of things and keep our eyes and ears open.”

While the specialist unit conducted 41 consultations in 2022, that number rose to 58 last year. In 13 cases in 2025, the unit also involved the city police due to indications of a propensity for violence or self-harm.

This represented one in five cases, according to the unit’s director, Serena Gut. The previous year saw only three such “security-related inquiries.”

In most cases, the incidents involved threatening statements or violent fantasies from young people. One example was a student with a history of mental illness who repeatedly announced that he would “show everyone what he thinks of the school at graduation.”

The centre is currently also addressing issues related to the ‘manosphere’, meaning problematic images of masculinity that are often accompanied by misogyny. In everyday life, this trend manifests itself, for example, in increasingly disrespectful behavior towards female teachers.

Adapted from German with AI/mga

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