The discovery of the orange backpack sparked a large police operation during Saturday’s Street Parade, which was attended by around 850,000 people.
A bomb disposal robot was used to examine the suspicious bag.
In a statement on Monday morning, Zurich cantonal police said a 31-year-old German man living in canton Aargau had been identified as the possible owner of the backpack and arrested.
The bag contained what “looked like a fully functional pipe bomb”, investigators told Swiss media.
Police are still investigating the suspect’s motives for placing the fake bomb at the event. It is not being treated as a terrorist act.
A 35-year-old Swiss man was originally arrested in connection with the incident but has now been released.
A total of 78 people from 21 countries were arrested during this year’s Street Parade. Most arrests came after fights between people who had consumed large quantities of drugs or alcohol.
Member comments