Zurich court sentences Chinese student to 15 years for child attack

A Chinese student has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for multiple attempted murders after attacking kindergarten children with a knife in Zurich, SRF reported. The Zurich District Court also ordered a 15-year expulsion from Switzerland and outpatient psychiatric treatment.

The now 25-year-old attacked a group of children in Zurich-Oerlikon on October 1, 2024. Three boys were injured, one seriously. A childcare worker restrained the attacker by his arms until he dropped the knife, while other passers-by came to help.

The prosecution said the student had prepared the attack for several weeks. According to the indictment, he had asked ChatGPT in August 2024 about the legal consequences of killing someone by stabbing. He later researched where he could encounter children in Zurich, ordered a set of knives online, studied anatomical illustrations and practised stabbing and cutting raw beef.

On the day of the attack, he stabbed at the children with a knife measuring 8.5 centimetres. The prosecution described the act as particularly ruthless and sought convictions for multiple attempted murders. The court followed the prosecution’s demands. The defence had called for an acquittal.

Defence cites mental illness

The trial focused on whether the student was criminally responsible at the time of the attack. A psychiatric assessment diagnosed him with a severe psychotic disorder and found that his ability to control his actions had been absent.

Psychiatrist Elmar Habermeyer told the court that the intention to kill was a clear consequence of the illness. He said the student had become increasingly radicalised as his condition worsened. The student currently showed no acute symptoms, and the risk of him committing violent offences again was low, the expert said.

The student told the court that he had been living in his own world before the attack. About three weeks beforehand, he said, he had heard a male voice in his head telling him: “Either you die, or you kill children.” He said he no longer remembered many details and apologised to the victims.

Attack on Chinese national holiday

The student had lived in Zurich since August 2023 and studied at the University of Zurich. The prosecution said he had deliberately chosen China’s National Day for the attack. It cited revenge, a desire for recognition and delusional ideological confusion as motives, saying he had felt disrespected in Switzerland and had become increasingly unhappy.

The parents of the affected children sought compensation and damages for personal suffering. In a letter, they described how their son had suffered sleep problems and fear of his dreams since the attack.