Accused terror knife attacker tells court she would repeat violence

Police patrol outside the Lugano shopping centre following the knife attack in 2020. Keystone / Pablo Gianinazzi

A woman accused of committing two knife attacks in a Swiss shopping centre has told a court she would strike again for the cause of Islam.

The 29-year-old is charged with attempted murder and violation of the Al-Qaeda/IS Act after stabbing two women in the southern city of Lugano.

Another charge of financing Islamic State was later added by prosecutors along with a charge of illegal prostitution.

The court heard that the accused had intended to kill her victims in November 2020 on behalf of Islamic State. She bought a bread knife in the department store and attacked two random women, shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“God is Great”) and “Sono qui per l’ISIS” (“I am here for ISIS”).

Both victims survived the attacks, one with wounds to her neck and arms and the other to her hand.

When asked by the judge whether she was still motivated to carry out attacks, the accused answered that she would do it again but “more efficiently”.

The court heard that the accused was afflicted by a psychotic disorder resembling schizophrenia, but that the attack was nevertheless pre-meditated rather than impulsive. A psychiatrist recommended a minimum three years of treatment in a secure unit.

The woman had conducted an online relationship with a jihadist in Syria but had been thwarted in her efforts to meet him there.

One of the knifing victims has joined the prosecution privately and is demanding CHF440,000 ($455,000) in damages.

The trial continues.