The governor of the Bank of France, François Villeroy de Galhau, was attacked with a hammer at the end of June in Basel, Swiss media reported on Wednesday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
AFP/dos
Português
pt
Diretor do banco central francês foi atacado na Basileia em junho
Contacted by the AFP news agency, the Bank of France confirmed an “isolated incident” but “without consequence”. It said Villeroy de Galhau is fine.
According to newspapers from the Tamedia group, including the Tribune de GenèveExternal link, the attack occurred on June 26 near the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS), of which Villeroy de Galhau is also president.
More
More
How a secretive central bankers’ club responds to crises
This content was published on
Few people have heard of the Bank for International Settlements, yet alone know how it operates.
“Around 6:30pm, François Villeroy de Galhau was crossing the central square by the train station when a man approached him from behind and hit him on the head with a hammer,” wrote the Tribune de Genève. The paper stressed that it was not yet clear that the suspect had specifically targeted Villeroy de Galhau.
The Frenchman found himself on the ground but thanks to “the courageous intervention of passers-by, the police were able to arrest the suspect, a 39-year-old Swiss man”, the paper wrote.
The day after the attack the Basel public prosecutor indicated that an elderly man had been attacked with a hammer but did not reveal his identity.
Unclear motive
According to an intermediate decision by a cantonal court, a copy of which was obtained by the Tribune de Genève, the incident has “the characteristics of an attack” but could also have had a political or ideological motivation.
Three months later the Basel City public prosecutor is not prepared to give any further information about the case, invoking in particular the secrecy of the investigation, AFP writes. However, it confirmed it is investigating suspicions of attempted murder.
The court does not exclude the fact that the alleged perpetrator probably suffers from a “psychological illness”, the Tribune de Genève said, adding that during the interrogations, the suspect behaved in a strange way and seemed very distracted.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Environment minister outlines Swiss efforts to limit global warming
This content was published on
Switzerland will do its part to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celcius, said Environment Minister Albert Rösti, who's attending COP29 in Baku.
This content was published on
Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.
Assisted suicide: Sarco inventor defends himself against killing rumours
This content was published on
Sarco inventor Philip Nitschke has defended himself against rumours that one of his colleagues assisted in the suicide of a woman in Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland.
Too much attention paid to queer people, says Swiss survey
This content was published on
Most Swiss are well disposed towards LGBTQ people, according to a study. However, prejudice and intolerance persist in certain sectors of society, particularly towards transgender and intersex people.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Foreign currencies going off Swiss central bank menu
This content was published on
Swiss central bank buys less foreign currencies to support the franc as it balances the needs of exporters with the rising cost of goods.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.