Muslim teen who was inspired by ISIS to carry out antisemitic terrorist stabbing attack in Zurich faces a maximum sentence of just one year in prison.
By World Israel News Staff
A Swiss Muslim teenager accused of stabbing an Orthodox Jewish man 17 times in Zurich and planning a larger attack on a synagogue faces a maximum sentence of just one year in juvenile prison, a limit that has renewed debate in Switzerland over how the country’s justice system handles minors charged with terrorism-related crimes.
The defendant, now 17, was 15 at the time of the March 2, 2024, attack. He is being tried before a juvenile court in Dielsdorf, in the canton of Zurich, on charges including multiple counts of attempted murder, support for a criminal organization and incitement to discrimination and hatred.
Swiss prosecutors say the teenager, a Swiss national of Tunisian descent, became radicalized online after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and later pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
Authorities say he initially searched for bomb-making instructions and terror tactics before deciding that a stabbing attack would be easier to carry out.
According to the indictment cited by Israeli and Swiss reports, the teen bought a butcher’s knife at a Zurich shopping center the day before the assault and searched online for synagogue prayer times. Prosecutors say his aim was “to kill as many Jews as possible.”
The hearing opened Wednesday, but most of the proceedings were closed to the public because the accused is a minor.
The Swiss Telegraphic Agency reported that media were allowed to follow the judge’s questioning of the defendant from adjacent rooms.
The teenager refused to answer questions about the attack, his radicalization or his attitude toward the victim, repeatedly saying, “No comment.” Because of his silence, the court relied on statements he gave investigators after the attack.
According to Swissinfo, the judge quoted earlier statements in which the teenager said he had wanted police to kill him at the scene so he could enter paradise. “The desire to die was greater than the desire to live,” he had said.
Prosecutors say the teen arrived at a synagogue while livestreaming, but a technical failure meant only audio was recorded. In the recording he is heard complaining that the synagogue door was locked and saying he would wait until someone came out. Moments later, he says, “Now I have one.”
The attacker then allegedly stabbed a 50-year-old Orthodox Jewish man from behind, first aiming at his neck and head and later trying to slit his throat. The victim managed to flee several yards, but the attacker chased him and continued stabbing him until bystanders subdued him on the hood of a car stopped at a red light.
The victim was seriously wounded, including injuries to his lungs, and underwent emergency surgery that saved his life. Swiss authorities later said his condition was no longer life-threatening.
The prosecution is seeking the maximum penalty available under Swiss juvenile law: one year in prison, along with therapeutic and protective measures. The defense is seeking an acquittal on the attempted-murder charges and a reduced sentence of six months. A verdict is expected Tuesday.
The one-year sentencing limit has triggered criticism in Switzerland and among Jewish organizations, because an adult convicted of attempted murder or terrorism-related violence could face a far longer prison term.
Swiss juvenile law emphasizes rehabilitation, treatment and protection rather than punishment, and the court may also order the teen held in a closed educational facility until age 25.
The case has also raised the possibility of stripping the attacker of his Swiss citizenship.
Because he is a Swiss-Tunisian dual national, removing his Swiss citizenship could allow deportation to Tunisia after proceedings conclude. Zurich security director Mario Fehr previously called for the attacker to be expatriated.
Swiss police said shortly after the attack that the suspect had appeared in a video expressing support for the Islamic State group. Fehr said authorities had authenticated the video.
“He refers to the IS (Islamic State), describes himself as a soldier of the caliphate,” Fehr said at the time. He called the stabbing a “terrorist” and “antisemitic” attack.
Fehr also said one video included a call for a “battle against the Jews.”
The attack shocked Switzerland’s Jewish community, which has around 18,000 members and has historically seen few life-threatening antisemitic assaults.
The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities described the stabbing as one of the most serious antisemitic attacks in the country in decades, and police increased security around Jewish sites after the incident.
The Swiss Organization of Jewish Communities said after the attack that it was “deeply shocked that a community member fell victim to such an attack.”
“Physical attacks on Jewish people in Switzerland are very rare,” the group said. “The Jewish community has been spared from such life-threatening attacks for the past two decades. However, there has been a significant increase in such physical attacks since Oct. 7.”
Swiss lawmakers have since discussed changes that would permit harsher penalties for minors convicted of terrorism offenses, though no major reform has yet been completed.
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