Stockholm – The man suspected of stabbing a Jewish woman in Sweden did not commit a hate crime, targeting her randomly amid a psychiatric crisis, his mother said.
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The 29-year-old man, who has an extensive criminal record for assault, was released from 12 days at a psychiatric institution one day prior to the attack Tuesday in Helingborg, according to Expressen.
Several Israeli media reported that he is Muslim, though this has not been confirmed.
“I do not share the image that is spread in the Israeli media though I understand the concern and do not want in any way to downplay it,” prosecutor Linda Seger told the Helsingborgs Dagblad daily.
“This does not have anything to do with religion,” the suspect’s mother told Expressen. Neither she, her son nor the victim have been named. The Expressen report did not say whether the suspect is in fact Muslim.
The suspect delivered near-fatal blows to the woman, a leader of the local Jewish community, very close to her home on a busy street. He approached her from the back, plunging a large knife into her upper body. The assault was over within seconds and he fled the scene, police said.
The suspect then crossed the border to neighboring Denmark and checked into a local hostel, where police arrested him on Wednesday, according to Expressen.
On Thursday, a Muslim umbrella organization from Malmo condemned the attack. “Whatever the motive,” the Malmö Muslim Network wrote, “we Muslims know the insecurity such an attack can lead to for the entire Jewish community of Helsingborg.”
Refuah Shlama. Maybe he should be institutionalized so he doesn’t cause any further harm to anyone
Oh sure they condemned the attack. By the wording sound like a threat instead
Europe was at one time, safe to travel in, and even to live in (following World War Two, and through the 1980’s). Now, it is like a jungle.