Swiss chainsaw attack injures 5

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland (UPDATED) – A man armed with a chainsaw injured at least 5 people in Switzerland on Monday, July 24, and is on the run after a rampage that police said was not “a terrorist act.”

The assailant entered an office building in the northern town of Schaffhausen shortly after 10:30 am (0830 GMT), police said in a statement cited by multiple local media outlets.

Minutes later, authorities were alerted that an attack was under way, and rushed officers, ambulances and helicopters to the scene.

The town’s historic old quarter has been sealed off by a large deployment of officers who have set up barricades and evacuated all businesses and pedestrians from the area. 

“For now, there are five people injured … two seriously and three lightly,” Schaffhausen police spokeswoman Cindy Beer said in a video clip posted on the Blick news site, adding that all the victims had been hospitalised.

Police have distributed photos of the presumed attacker. He appears to be in his late 30s or 40s and had a dishevelled appearance in the images released.  

The suspect’s vehicle, a white Volkswagen, has been found but he remains on the run and is presumed dangerous, although not necessarily armed, ATS said, quoting police.   

According to the agency, police have said the attack was not “a terrorist act”.

Schaffhausen, just north of Zurich near the German border, has an estimated population of 36,000. – Rappler.com