A ruling by Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court has confirmed that the Afghan national accused of stabbing a 39-year-old man in Bäckeranlage park in the spring of 2024 was an adult at the time of the attack, despite having claimed to be a minor during his asylum proceedings.
The finding undercuts criticism directed at Zurich security director Mario Fehr, who had cited the case when calling for tougher action against violent offenders within the asylum system.
The victim was seriously injured in the knife attack and required hospital treatment. Shortly afterwards, Zurich’s Security Minister Mario Fehr cited the case as evidence of young Afghan men being disproportionately represented in serious crime compared with their share of the resident population. He called on the federal government to ensure that asylum seekers who commit grave crimes can have their temporary protection withdrawn and be deported.
As reported by NZZ, left-wing parties in Zurich accused Fehr of exploiting the incident for political purposes. They argued that harsher measures would not improve public safety and said minors could not be deported in any case. In the city parliament, Green Party councillor Luca Maggi said that violence should not be downplayed but insisted that “adequate structural conditions” and support were the best forms of prevention, not tougher punishment.
As it turns out, the court ruling now shows that the suspect was not a minor. According to the judgment, Fehr’s office questioned the man’s claimed age shortly after his arrest. The State Secretariat for Migration later reviewed the case and also concluded that he was of legal age. The suspect appealed, but the Federal Administrative Court rejected his challenge.
Judges found that the man gave contradictory information during his asylum procedure. When he entered Switzerland, he stated his date of birth as Jan. 1, 2007, which would have made him 17 at the time of the stabbing. This would have meant he would receive a more lenient sentence and could not be deported after serving any juvenile sentence.
However, records from an earlier registration in Greece listed his birth year as 2006. The man said he did not know his exact date of birth and referred to Afghan identity documents, but the court said those documents, based on the Persian calendar, actually supported the conclusion that he was 18 at the time.
The ruling also noted that the suspect refused to undergo a medical age assessment, which can include X-rays of the left wrist, collarbones, and teeth. “The appellant violated his duty to cooperate by refusing the examination and must bear the consequences of the lack of evidence,” the judges said.
Criminal proceedings over the stabbing are ongoing and are still being handled by the juvenile prosecutor’s office. If he is convicted and the verdict becomes final, there is a high chance he will be deported.
The case comes as Switzerland resumes deportations to Afghanistan after a period of suspension. According to the State Secretariat for Migration, five Afghans were deported in 2024, with further removals carried out in late 2025.
Swiss authorities say the Zurich case is not an isolated one. Every year, hundreds of asylum seekers who initially claim to be minors are later reclassified as adults. In 2024, around 4,300 asylum applicants stated they were under 18, but only about 3,200 cases could be substantiated. In roughly 27 percent of cases, the State Secretariat for Migration said, the information provided about age was false, though not always intentionally, due to unreliable documents or genuine uncertainty.
Similar cases have emerged across Europe. In France, center-right MP Charles de Courson said in November 2023 that 80 percent of supposed unaccompanied minors tested in one northeastern department were found to be adults following bone analysis.
In Spain, authorities revealed in October last year that a Moroccan man arrested for the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Madrid, who had claimed to be 17, was in fact 23. His case was transferred from juvenile to adult court, significantly increasing the potential sentence he faces.
And in Greece, the migration minister said in November that more than half of asylum seekers claiming to be minors under a new verification system were determined to be over 18.
