Almost everyone was watching Senior citizen brutally beaten on Appenzell train - details raise questions

New details have come to light following a brutal attack on a pensioner on an Appenzeller Bahnen train. The alleged perpetrator is already known to the police.

It was an incident that caused horror: on February 1, 2025, a man beat up a 71-year-old pensioner in the first-class compartment of an Appenzeller Bahnen train. As the victim lay dazed and injured on the floor, a passenger intervened and the thug walked away. New details have now emerged about the brutal attack.

As the Appenzell Ausserhoden cantonal police confirmed to the "St. Galler Tagblatt" newspaper, the alleged attacker, a 31-year-old Afghan (F status) who has been provisionally admitted, is already known to the police.

The authorities have had to deal with the man "a good half dozen times" in the past year and a half, as the cantonal police report: "These ranged from harassment to attempted bodily harm."

Public prosecutor's office does not respond to inquiries

So how is it that the alleged perpetrator is still at large? According to the report, the police explain that they sometimes have to release people who have been arrested the next day. This is "stressful and frustrating". This is because suspected perpetrators can only be detained for 24 hours. The public prosecutor's office decides on everything beyond that.

Rail traffic Olten - Zurich interrupted"This is not how I imagined the end of the day"

According to the report, the public prosecutor's office of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden did not answer the question of whether there were already valid penalty orders or legally binding convictions against the 31-year-old Afghan. Due to the ongoing investigation, no information could be provided at present. The question of whether the crime could now have an impact on the person's residence status also remained unanswered.

So far, the alleged perpetrator has not been convicted for the incident described. The 20-year-old witness, who had stood between the attacker and the pensioner lying on the ground to prevent worse, told the Tagblatt that the attack had happened out of nowhere. He himself was not attacked when he intervened. Instead, the perpetrator went into the entrance area of the train, cursed and swore - but did not get off.

20-year-old was the only one to intervene

The 20-year-old helped the pensioner to sit up. He then stood in front of the first-class entrance to avoid a possible further attack. He was the only passenger to intervene in the incident. "In those moments, I felt alone," said the brave young man, annoyed at the lack of civil courage shown by the other passengers.

The chauffeur later enquired about the situation and alerted the police. The suspected perpetrator was apprehended by the police that same evening and later handed over to the public prosecutor's office with a report. The pensioner was taken to hospital for medical treatment. He was able to return home the same evening.