No terrorist link in Zurich mosque attack

Swiss law enforcement said Tuesday that there is no reason to believe that the man who shot and injured three people in a mosque in the northern Swiss city of Zurich before taking his own life on Monday was affiliated with any terrorist organisations.

According to Christiane Lentjes Meili, head of the cantonal criminal investigation department, the perpetrator was a Swiss national with Ghanaian origins, and had "an interest in cults."

He was found dead a few hours after the incident took place at around 5:30 p.m. local time on Monday. Police indicated that they had located on December 18 another man he had killed.

In Monday's incident, three men aged 30, 35 and 56 years old were injured, two severely, by the gunman who entered the mosque in central Zurich near the city's main train station, opening fire randomly at people who were praying.

The 24-year-old shooter, who reportedly acted alone and had an official license for the weapon, then shot himself not far from where he carried out his attack.

According to Swiss newspaper reports, the mosque is mostly frequented by Muslims of Somali origin, as well as individuals hailing from Eritrea and the Maghreb.

Though investigations have yet to find any link to extremist group activities, the event coincided with a deadly series of terrorist attacks in both Turkey and Germany.

Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot and killed at an art exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara Monday shortly before a truck ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring many more.

source: Xinhua