Woman on trial in Switzerland on terrorist charges

The trial of a woman in Switzerland accused of a terrorist act in the name of Islamic state is set to conclude on Thursday.

The attack took place in a department store in Lugano, southern Switzerland in November 2020.

The woman is accused of attacking randomly selected victims with a knife, with the aim of killing them and spreading terror.

The defendant is charged with attempted murder and violation of laws against association with Al-Qaeda, IS and related Islamist groups.

The woman cannot be named for legal reasons and has not yet entered a plea.

No one was killed in the attack, though two people were injured.

The court has heard that the defendant suffers from psychological disorders and it is believed that she actually knew very little about jihadism.

According to the Office of the Attorney General’s indictment, the suspect “acted wilfully and with particular ruthlessness”, shouted “Allahu akbar” and “I will avenge the Prophet Mohammad”, as well as “I am here for IS”.

She told the court: “If I could go back, I would do it better... with accomplices.”

She found IS on social media and said she planned for years to do something for the group. She met a jihadist in Syria on social media in 2017 and attempted to meet him, though she was stopped at the border by Turkish authorities and sent back to Switzerland, where she was admitted to a psychiatric clinic.

The trial is set to conclude on Thursday with the verdict expected on September 19th.

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