Teenager convicted in antisemitic knife attack in Zurich
A then 15-year-old perpetrator who stabbed an Orthodox Jew in Zurich has been convicted by the higher court of attempted murder.
Teenager convicted in antisemitic knife attack in Zurich
The Zurich Higher Court has found a young offender guilty of severely injuring a man of Jewish faith with a blade. The judges imposed the maximum possible sanction against the defendant.
The incident occurred on 2 March 2024 in the city on the Limmat. The perpetrator, a then 15-year-old Swiss national of Tunisian origin, attacked a member of the Orthodox Jewish community and inflicted life-threatening injuries. Shortly beforehand, he had attempted to force his way into a place of worship in order to kill further people there. However, the entrance doors were locked.
Investigators discovered that the teenager had been radicalised in online forums and considered himself affiliated with the terrorist organisation "Islamic State". The planning of the violent act is said to have taken several weeks. During the execution, the perpetrator broadcast the scene live on the internet.
According to the court, the defendant wanted to take revenge on members of the Jewish religion. He assumed he would be shot by law enforcement and hoped to enter the afterlife as a "martyr".
The defence pleaded for a less serious criminal offence and a short custodial sentence without serving time. The court did not follow this motion. Instead, a one-year prison sentence was imposed, but it was suspended in favour of commitment to a closed therapeutic institution on probation.
Additionally, the judges found the teenager guilty of aiding a terrorist organisation and of incitement to hatred. During the reading of the verdict, the convicted person showed no emotion and made no confession.
Source: SRF
Source: SRF