Elderly Jewish man stabbed in French city
Elderly Jewish man stabbed in French city
A Jewish man was attacked by a man with mental health problems in Strasbourg amid conflicting claims about whether there was an extremist motive.
2 min read
France has witnessed a string of attacks in last year and a half [Getty]
A Jewish man wearing a kippa skullcap was stabbed in the eastern French city of Strasbourg on Friday by a man.
The assailant was promptly arrested, police and Jewish community sources said, amid claims that he shouted "Allah Akbar" (God is Greatest) before the attack.
The victim - who is in his sixties - was stabbed in the abdomen outside his home in the city's Jewish quarter, Strasbourg's chief rabbi Rene Gutman told AFP.
His injuries were not life-threatening, Gutman added. Police have not commented on the motive for the attack but police said the man has a history of mental health issues.
Gutman also said the suspect had previously attacked a member of the local Jewish community in 2010.
Condemning the attack, he said it "in no way reflects the prevailing climate in Strasbourg", which has a large Jewish community.
The local prosecutor's office confirmed the arrest and said an investigation had been launched.
The attack comes as France reels from a string of militant attacks in the past year-and-a-half.
It began in January 2015 with killings in Paris at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.
Since then, Islamic State group have claimed repsonsibility for a string of attacks in the country.
This includes multiple murders in Paris nightspots last November, a horrific lorry attack on pedestrians in Nice on Bastill Day in July, and the beheading of a priest in Normandy shortly after.
The assailant was promptly arrested, police and Jewish community sources said, amid claims that he shouted "Allah Akbar" (God is Greatest) before the attack.
The victim - who is in his sixties - was stabbed in the abdomen outside his home in the city's Jewish quarter, Strasbourg's chief rabbi Rene Gutman told AFP.
His injuries were not life-threatening, Gutman added. Police have not commented on the motive for the attack but police said the man has a history of mental health issues.
Gutman also said the suspect had previously attacked a member of the local Jewish community in 2010.
Condemning the attack, he said it "in no way reflects the prevailing climate in Strasbourg", which has a large Jewish community.
The local prosecutor's office confirmed the arrest and said an investigation had been launched.
The attack comes as France reels from a string of militant attacks in the past year-and-a-half.
It began in January 2015 with killings in Paris at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.
Since then, Islamic State group have claimed repsonsibility for a string of attacks in the country.
This includes multiple murders in Paris nightspots last November, a horrific lorry attack on pedestrians in Nice on Bastill Day in July, and the beheading of a priest in Normandy shortly after.
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