Zurich police said it has stepped up security at Jewish sites following a serious knife attack on an Orthodox Jewish man.
An Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed in a suspected antisemitic hate crime in the Selnau area of Zurich, Switzerland, shortly after Shabbat ended on Saturday evening, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The 15-year-old Swiss assailant critically wounded the 50-year-old Orthodox Jew. According to City Councilor Jehuda Spielman, bystanders rushed to the scene to restrain the attacker, and „without a doubt, they saved his (the victim’s) life.”
Spielman said that the attacker was shouting antisemitic slogans while he was stabbing the victim and as he was pinned down by the bystanders who intervened. Spielman claimed the assailant had alluded to jihadist concepts, such as acting on behalf of „Al-Aqsa.”
According to Jewish organisations, the assailant yelled „death to the Jews” during the attack. Police are investigating the allegedly antisemitic hate crime, calling on witnesses to come forward.
„It’s no doubt that it’s an antisemitic attack,” said Spielman, who added that the incident wasn’t planned but spontaneous.
Following the attack, the Zurich police consulted with the Jewish organisations and stepped up security at Jewish sites.
The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) called on Jews to behave cautiously after the attack, adding that there is no further threat expected at the moment. The SIG noted that since October 7, „there has been a significant increase in such physical attacks.”
The Conference of European Rabbis said that the incident was further evidence of the growing threat of rising antisemitism since the October 7 massacre.
Conference of European Rabbis president Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt stressed that based on the young age of the assailant, sources of incitement to hatred in his community should be investigated.
Photo credit: AFP
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