Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

75-year-old woman who killed seven-year-old boy in Basel did not know victim

A 75-year-old woman who confessed to the murder by stabbing of a seven-year-old boy in the Swiss city of Basel on Thursday is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation.

Published: 22 March 2019 20:38 CET
75-year-old woman who killed seven-year-old boy in Basel did not know victim
The woman who confessed to the murder is a Basel resident. File photo: Depositphotos

The woman turned herself in to state prosecutors after the murder in the city’s Gotthelf neighbourhood.

She did not know her victim or his family, prosecutors in Basel-Stadt said in a statement on Friday.

Read also: Woman, 75, held over fatal stabbing of 7-year-old boy in Basel

Forensic investigations revealed she killed the boy with a serious knife injury to the neck.

The motive for the murder is not known.

The 75-year-old woman, a Swiss national, is currently being held in investigative custody but there doubts about her legal culpability, prosecutors said. She is undergoing psychiatric evaluation.

The family of the murdered seven-year-old boy was from Kosovo and he is to be buried there after his body is released by investigators, Swiss media reported.

The boy’s murder has shocked the local community in Basel and captured headlines across Switzerland.

The child was attacked while he was walking alone home from school at around 12:30 pm on Thursday.

The boy's teacher found him lying on the ground in a serious condition and called for an ambulance. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was declared dead at the hospital, police said.

Flowers and candles have been placed at the spot where he was killed.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

LAUSANNE

American tourist ‘violently attacked’ in Lausanne

A woman visiting from the United States was stabbed during a robbery attempt while sightseeing in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

Published: 19 June 2024 12:15 CEST
American tourist 'violently attacked' in Lausanne

The attack occurred at the end of May, but the Swiss media reported it on Tuesday.

The victim, in her 50s, was “violently” attacked by a man with a knife while sightseeing in the Old Town, according to Lausanne’s newspaper 24 Heures. The attempted robbery was confirmed by local police.

The tourist was stabbed in the shoulder as the assailant tried to flee with her bag.

A local shopkeeper said she was “alerted by cries of distress in English” and witnessed the victim “lying on the ground and trying to defend herself against a man who was attacking her. The scene was extremely violent.”

Even though passersby attempted to intercept the attacker, he managed to escape.

He was, however, caught and arrested shortly thereafter. Police said the perpatrator was known for prior criminal acts.

This was the second case of a brutal attack in Switzerland  against a US tourist in a span of several months.

In February, an American woman was raped and beaten in Geneva. 

The suspect in that case lived in France and, according to the Geneva prosecutor’s office, was arrested “outside Switzerland.” 

Does this mean the two cities are unsafe for tourists?

Lausanne police said that no incidents “targeting tourists in particular” have been reported in the Vaud capital.

But reading about these attacks probably doesn’t fill you with confidence regarding your personal security in Switzerland.

Still, you should put these unfortunate incidents in perspective.

That’s because Switzerland consistently ranks among the least risky nations in the world, both in terms of personal safety and overall crime rate.

Not only is crime limited in scope, but other statistics also indicate that, in comparison with other countries, Switzerland is very safe.

SHOW COMMENTS