Federal Councillor Jans wishes those affected by the hostage-taking “strength and courage”
Published: Friday, Feb 9th 2024, 13:01
Updated At: Friday, Feb 9th 2024, 13:01
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Federal Councillor Beat Jans has commented on the hostage-taking on a regional train in the canton of Vaud on Thursday evening. "The population has the right to live in safety. I wish those affected and their families the strength and courage to overcome these events," he said on Friday on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
The head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police added that the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) would analyze this case and the possible consequences with the cantons concerned. The hostage-taker was probably a 32-year-old asylum seeker of Iranian nationality.
This person had not been assigned to the canton of Neuchâtel, as was initially reported. "The investigation is still ongoing to define the status of this person," said Jean-Christophe Sauterel, spokesman for the Vaud police. They plan to release further information on the perpetrator during the course of Friday.
On Thursday evening, a man took 15 hostages on a regional train between Yverdon and Sainte-Croix. The 32-year-old was shot dead by the police at the end of the four-hour operation. The hostage-taker, who spoke Farsi and English, was armed with an axe and a knife. The hostages remained unharmed. The police do not believe it was a terrorist act.
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