(LifeSiteNews) — The man who stabbed multiple people at a Swiss train station while shouting “Allahu Akbar” had links to the Islamic State and was released from a mental hospital shortly before the attack.
The terrorist, identified as Nesip Dedeler, stabbed and injured multiple people at the Winterthur train station on Thursday morning and was heard exclaiming “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater) during the attack. Three people had to be taken to the hospital with serious injuries, while two others sustained moderate injuries.
According to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, Dedeler had been known to local police since 2015 for spreading ISIS propaganda, which is illegal in Switzerland. In 2015, he stood trial for an assault in Wülflingen, a district of Winterthur, after he had beaten up a German man together with two companions, kicking and punching the victim in the face while he was already on the ground.
Before the judge, Dedeler expressed his disregard for Swiss law: “I don’t give a damn about Swiss law. Only Islamic law prevents me from attacking people, not Swiss law.”
“You are not honored,” he told the judge at the time, “I will certainly not stand up for you out of courtesy. I only stand before Allah.”
He also reportedly had connections to the An’Nur Mosque, which was permanently closed down in 2017 after its imam was charged for calling for the killings of non-practicing Muslims.
In 2024, Dedeler emigrated to Turkey for two years before returning to Switzerland in May 2026, according to Mario Fehr, the head of Switzerland’s Department of Security.
Swiss authorities said that the man was admitted into a psychiatric hospital on the Monday before the attack. The following day, he left the facilities but was captured by police and readmitted. On Wednesday, doctors ruled he did not pose a danger to the public and released him. Fehr said he was baffled by the decision.
“Why that decision was made is beyond our knowledge, but the assessment was obviously wrong,” the security chief said.
The attacker’s father, Ayhan Dedeler, claimed that his son is not a “terrorist” but someone who is “mentally ill and needs help.” He told Swiss media outlets that the attacker was “very withdrawn” and had “no social contacts, no girlfriend.”
“For ten years he’s done nothing and smokes three or four packs of cigarettes a day,” the father said. “He has no education, no job, and no money.
Ayhan said he repeatedly tried to talk to his son to “make something of himself,” but to no avail.