Man detained over fake bombs at Zurich Street Parade
Zurich's outdoor techno music festival attracted around 850,000 visitors.
Keystone / Alexandra Wey
The Zurich police have arrested a 31-year-old German man in connection with a backpack containing fake bombs left at the Zurich Street Parade on Saturday. Police are currently investigating the motive but did not indicate any ideological affiliation.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone SDA/jdp
A suspicious orange backpack was found at Utoquai on Saturday evening during the techno music festival that attracted around 850,000 visitors in the Swiss city.
The contents of the backpack were analysed by the Forensic Institute Zurich on Sunday, which found that it contained fake pipe bombs. The Zurich Cantonal Police,External link in cooperation with the Zurich-Sihl Public Prosecutor’s Office, are currently investigating the motive for constructing the fake bombs and leaving them at the parade.
On Monday, the Zurich Cantonal Police arrested the man, who lives in canton Aargau and is the alleged owner of the backpack.
In a statement, the police said they had not found any “ideological background” to explain why the suspect built the fake bombs.
A 35-year-old Swiss man had been arrested but was released from custody without further suspicion.
Other arrests
Some 78 people were also arrested at the parade for different reasons – the majority concerning excessive alcohol or drug consumption. About a dozen reports of theft were filed.
Some 654 people sought medical help, which authorities indicated was about 10% less than the previous year. Four people were admitted to hospital with serious injuries.
Overall, the world’s largest techno parade was largely peaceful.
More
More
The world’s largest techno party: Zurich Street Parade
This content was published on
Hundreds of thousands flocked to Zurich on Saturday for the Zurich Street Parade.
Swiss institute hosted informal talks between Russians, Ukrainians and Americans
This content was published on
The Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) has hosted 10 meetings between Russian and Ukrainian interlocutors since the start of the war.
Automated driving on Swiss motorways is theoretically possible from March
This content was published on
It will be theoretically possible to hand over the steering wheel to technology but no such system has been submitted for official approval yet.
Heated atmosphere at Swiss rally against AfD politician Alice Weidel
This content was published on
Around 250 people demonstrated "against the right" and the German AfD politician Alice Weidel on Saturday afternoon in Einsiedeln.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
This content was published on
There is no dress code at Zurich's Street Parade. Some 900,000 hardcore ravers, dance music fans and curious spectators turned out this year.
Street Parade’s on-site drug testing aims to save lives
This content was published on
A drug advisory service, funded by Zurich city authorities, has been carrying out anonymous drug testing at the Street Parade since 2001.
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.