Five people, including a pregnant woman as well as a new mother and her infant child, are recovering after being attacked by a machete-wielding man in St. Gallen, Switzerland on Thursday. The identities of the victims, nor that of the 34-year-old suspect, have been released to the public.
No motive has been determined, however local authorities explained that the suspect was known to police as "a man with mental health problems." He was promptly arrested, however the extent of his charges have not been revealed as the investigation is ongoing.
According to the St. Gallen Kantonspolizei, the incident took place shortly before 9:30 pm at an apartment building on Hochwachtstrasse in the southwest area of town. The suspect, who resided in the building, first targeted a 29-year-old woman described as "heavily pregnant" in the stairwell as she made her way up to visit her 66-year-old father, who lived there as well.
When the elderly man heard the commotion, he "rushed to help" and "was also attacked by the suspected perpetrator and seriously injured." Other neighbors followed the suspect outside, where he proceeded to injure a 31-year-old woman and her 3-month-old child. The group was eventually able to detain the suspect, however during the struggle, another man was injured.
Before long, a number of officers from the Stadtpolizei and Kantonspolizei arrived on scene, along with "a public prosecutor, four ambulances, two doctors and a medical operations manager." Authorities explained that "all of the people involved underwent surgery," but that by Friday morning none of the victims were deemed at risk of dying from their wounds.
During a search of the suspect's apartment, investigators found "a flammable liquid and gas." As a result, the building was evacuated and firefighters were brought in to handle the risk of an explosion.
