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Asylum seeker 'was attacked by Swiss policeman'

The Local
The Local - [email protected]
Asylum seeker 'was attacked by Swiss policeman'
File photo of Swiss police. Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

A 29-year-old asylum seeker from Tunisia was attacked in Therwil, Basel, earlier this month, leaving him in need of surgery on his hand.

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The attack took place in the night of February 5th, close to an asylum seekers' accommodation and a pub.

Shortly after the incident, a 32-year-old man was arrested. Local police wrote in a statement that he was strongly under the influence of alcohol and that they were looking for witnesses who might have information on others involved in the incident.

Now it has been revealed that three people were involved in the attack on the man, reports Regionaljournal Basel. All three were Swiss citizens, and one is a policeman in Basel. The three now face criminal charges of grievous bodily harm.

"We know that there is a trial against a policeman from our department," Martin Schütz, a spokesperson for Basel's justice and security department, told The Local.

He was unable to go into more detail about the particular case due to professional confidentiality and protection of privacy, but explained that, in general, "members of the police are obliged to inform their superiors promptly and of their own accord about any criminal proceedings against them".

When asked if police education included training in xenophobia or handling aggression, he responded: "Right now we don't see a need to change our training. We will review it after the end of the lawsuit."

The criminal proceedings are still ongoing.

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