A stabbing at a Swiss train station has left three people injured. British counter-terror experts are being deployed. The attack happened at around midday local time in the main terminal of the central station. The attacker is believed to have been shot by police. Details are still emerging.
Sources in Whitehall tell me the decision to send British specialists was taken at a COBRA meeting this morning. The Home Secretary was briefed. The National Security Adviser is in direct contact with Swiss authorities. This is not routine. It suggests London is taking the incident very seriously.
The Swiss Federal Police have confirmed three victims. Two are in critical condition. The third is stable. The suspect is in custody, wounded. A motive is not yet clear. But the speed of the British response hints at a possible Islamist extremist link. Or perhaps a copycat. We have seen this before. Every stabbing in Europe now triggers a counter-terror reflex.
The Foreign Office is advising British nationals in Switzerland to avoid the area. The embassy in Bern is on standby. No word yet on the nationalities of the victims.
This is a developing story. I am told a senior minister will make a statement later today. The political game here is about being seen to act. Strong and stable. The opposition will demand answers. But for now, the focus is on the injured. And the question everyone is asking: Was this terrorism?
Watch this space. More details as they come.
