Why no name for train attacker?

The name of the person believed responsible for a deadly attack on train passengers in northeastern Switzerland has not been released. Here are the reasons why.  So far, Swiss police have provided the age, gender and nationality of the attacker – a 27-year-old Swiss male. No further information has been released to the media. This is common practice in Swiss law enforcement, designed to protect the privacy of an individual and the person’s family.  Journalists are also asked to respect such privacy guidelines. A handbook of best practices published by the Swiss press council states that the public’s right to information must be carefully weighed against the right to privacy. In general, “reporting a person’s identity is allowed if the affected person is a public figure in the matter being reported on, having assumed a role of political or social leadership”.  The handbook gives an example: a Swiss newspaper published the name of a financial advisor who had ...