Suspect held in air traffic controller's fatal stabbing

Friday, February 27, 2004

ZURICH, Switzerland -- A man -- apparently a Russian -- who lost his wife and two children in an airplane collision has been arrested on suspicion that he stabbed to death the air traffic controller on duty at the time of the accident, officials said Thursday. Law enforcement officials declined to identify the man or give his nationality, but evidence they disclosed indicated the 48-year-old man -- who spoke only broken German -- was a Russian on a visit to Switzerland. Prosecutor Pascal Gossner said the man has denied killing the 36-year-old controller at the victim's home near Zurich airport Tuesday night. The Danish-born controller was working alone when 71 people, including 45 Russian schoolchildren headed for a vacation in Spain, were killed in the July 1, 2002, collision in the southern German area for which he was responsible.

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