Train Attacker Was White Swiss, Probably Non-Muslim

Train attacker, Simon S., according to Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten

Yesterday, it was reported that both the Swiss train attacker and one of his victims had died. Two remain in serious condition.

Further horrific details of the attack have emerged.

The police have as yet to release the full name of the attacker or that of the victims. Rather, the police have referred to the man as a 27-year-old Swiss national, Simon S.

The Swiss media have tracked down the identity of the man but have also not released his name, allegedly following accepted protection of privacy practices. However, at least two outlets have printed photos of his house in Liechtenstein, along with interviews of his neighbors. One outlet printed the picture above.

He appears to be a native "white" Swiss with no immigrant background. If he has any links to Islam (perhaps as a convert), they have yet to be reported.

The delayed and still only partial drips of information from both the police and media understandably fueled speculation, rumor. and in one case false reporting. A Hungarian newspaper printed a picture of a black Muslim face, which was quickly picked up and circulated on social media. Ironically, it was actually of an American Muslim man accused of an arson attack on a Houston mosque in December.

From the Daily Mail:

'I saw a woman burning from head to toe. There was blood everywhere': 

• Witness who saw Swiss train killer set light to victims describes horrific attack
• Witness Dino K, 21, was on the train when attacker struck with his knife
• He saw killer named as Simon S. stab passengers around him and set fires
• Described one woman who was set alight as looking like a 'human torch'
• The attacker, 27, and one of the female victims, 34, later died in hospital

A witness who saw the Swiss train killer stab passengers before setting one woman alight has described how there was 'blood everywhere.' 

Swiss police confirmed that the attacker, 27, identified as Simon S, and one of this female victims, 34 succumbed to their injuries after the incident in the train carriage in the eastern canton of Saint Gallen. 

The attack came as the man set the carriage on fire and stabbed at passengers, including a six-year-old child, leaving four people in hospital. 

Police say the suspect, who also set himself on fire was a Swiss national who was not of immigrant origin and did not have a criminal record. 

Interior of the train carriage, after the attack

Now one man who witnessed the attack, identified only as Dino K, has spoke about how he suddenly heard a commotion in the carriage. 

The 21-year-old told the 20 Minuten website: 'There was smoke everywhere, and I saw a young woman burning. She was burning from head to toe, like a torch. 

'A woman was lying on the ground with stab wounds to the stomach. There was blood everywhere.' 

He also described how he pulled out his water bottle to try to douse the flames after seeing a young girl with burns to her face. 

The man added: ' I keep asking myself if I did enough to help.' 

Meanwhile, more details have emerged about the killer as police revealed they had also searched a home in Liechtenstein belonging to him. 

According to the Blick daily, Simon S. had been subletting an apartment in the 16062-square-mile principality of Liechtenstein for the past three years. 

The paper quoted one neighbour as saying: 'The police were there for several hours and took pictures.' 

Neighbours also described the attacker as a 'loner', who was tall, thin and lanky, with glasses, the paper said. 

'He was a quiet, friendly guy, but I have a feeling he had problems with himself,' Blick quoted one acquaintance as saying. 

'You could tell he had been teased his whole life,' he added, saying the man 'had no friends. He was often alone... He never answered when you said hello.' 

The attacker worked part-time at an car parts supplier in the region, where he had previously completed vocational training, and he also studied at a technical university in Buchs.

Reportedly the house of Simon S. in Lichtenstein

It comes as police revealed that the woman who died had received a large portion of the flammable liquid over her, leading to speculation she might have been the main target of the attack. 

But police spokesman Bruno Metzger said he could not confirm that, and another police spokesman Hanspeter Kruesi told AFP late Saturday it did not appear that the attack was directed at a single person. 

He said it remained unclear if the attacker knew any of the victims. 

The attack happened near Salez-Sennwald Train Station on the line between Buchs and Sennwald at around 2.20pm near the border with Liechtenstein and Austria. 

The victims, who in addition to the 34-year-old woman included two men aged 17 and 50, two women aged 17 and 43 and a six-year-old girl, suffered burns and stab wounds. 

One of the women and the child were in serious condition, police said, adding dozens of people were on the train at the time of the attack. 

According to website watson.ch, the head of the local police media team said the offender was 'on fire' when he was apprehended, and added he had a 'typical Swiss name'. 

Metzger of the St Gallen cantonal police said the attack could be a 'crime of passion', adding: 'A terrorism background still seems very, very far-fetched.' 

The train was carrying dozens of passengers and the carriage was reportedly left covered in blood as the wounded were treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. 

Police are still establishing the attacker's motive. Switzerland's 20 Minuten newspaper reported on its website that police did not believe the incident was terrorist-related.