BERLIN – A man suspected of wounding five people with a chainsaw was still on the loose Tuesday, and a massive manhunt was taking place on the Swiss-German border.
All-night searches for the suspect, 51-year-old Franz Wrousis, accused of attacking two employees of a health insurance company in their office in Schaffhausen’s old town on Monday morning, were unsuccessful, Swiss police said in a statement.
Two customers were treated for shock after they witnessed the attack, and another person was slightly injured during the subsequent police operation. Four of the five injured have left the hospital; one company employee, who was severely injured, is still in the hospital, but not in life-threatening condition.
Authorities say the suspect has previous convictions for weapons offences and has no fixed residence. In recent weeks he was seen a lot in forests near Schaffhausen. Police are searching the region with helicopters and sniffer dogs.
Police described Wrousis as dangerous, aggressive and mentally unstable. They warned that he may be armed and asked witnesses to contact police immediately when they see him and to keep away from him. They also put out an international arrest warrant.
Schaffhausen, a town of about 36,000 people north of Zurich, is near the Swiss-German border.
On Monday afternoon, police found a white Volkswagen minivan that the suspect was believed to be driving. They did not elaborate on its condition or say if anything else was found in it.
Police also published several photos of the man; the latest of which they said was taken shortly before his attack on the CSS insurance office. It shows a tall, balding man with short brown hair walking along a street in a green jacket carrying a large black bag, which they said may have contained the chainsaw.