'Healer' Infects 16 People With HIV Acupuncture in Switzerland

A Swiss man has been arrested accused of intentionally infecting 16 people with HIV using acupuncture needles between 2001 and 2005, authorities announced Thursday.

The unidentified man barricaded himself inside his home Friday, armed with a knife and repeatedly threatened the police. He had been free on bail since August and trial began on March 6, but he stopped going to court on Thursday. An identified woman was also arrested in the man's home.

Swiss authorities became aware of the incident after an HIV-positive patient told a Bern hospital he had traced his infections back to the acupuncture treatments by the accused.

The man was indicted last year for intentionally spreading human disease and causing serious bodily harm. Such offenses carry the maximum penalties of five to 10 years respectively, reported the Associated Press last August.

Reports of Swiss media say the majority of the infected victims were recruited from a music school that he operated.

Christof Scheurer, spokesman of the prosecutor say the man practiced as an unlicensed, self-styled acupuncturist, allegedly using the job as a pretext to prick and infect some of his victims with blood that was infected with AIDS, however it remained unclear exactly what objects had been used.

"The defendant denies everything that is alleged," the prosecutor's statement added.

An official investigation began after a complaint in 2005 after an alleged victim filed a criminal complaint and has finally been completed; it took years because they faced a number of difficulties ranging from the use of genetic testing to identifying victims while adhering to protections for patient privacy.

A second suspect was identified however was dismissed, as his involvement could not be confirmed.