Kin of 3 Air Crash Victims Held in Controller’s Slaying

A man who lost his wife and two children in an air 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 that the 48-year-old man -- who spoke German poorly -- was a Russian on a visit to Switzerland.

Prosecutor Pascal Gossner said the man had denied killing the 36-year-old controller Tuesday night at the victim’s home near the Zurich airport.

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 area of southern Germany for which he was responsible.