Zurich Court Jails Man for Knife Attack on Children

A Zurich court on Friday sentenced a 25-year-old Chinese man to 15 years in prison for attempting to murder three five-year-old boys in a knife attack. He plans to appeal the sentence.

The attack took place on 1 October 2024 as the children were walking along a residential street to a daycare center. All three were wounded and hospitalized.

A daycare worker accompanying the children and a passerby overpowered the attacker, who was arrested at the scene. The judge said the man had acted “coldly” and “without scruple”.

The defense sought an acquittal, citing a psychiatric report suggesting that the man had mental health issues and was not responsible for his actions at the time of the attack.

During the trial, the defendant told the court that three weeks before the attack he had heard a voice in his head telling him to kill children. Prosecutors rejected his testimony, noting that he had not previously told investigators about the voice, and argued that he had carefully planned the attack for weeks.

Prosecutors alleged that in August 2024, the man had asked ChatGPT what criminal consequences he would face for randomly stabbing victims and entered prompts about human anatomy.

(max)