Rabbi attack not anti-Jew, says German Muslim
A 23-year-old German Muslim has told a Frankfurt state court at the opening of his trial that he felt threatened by a rabbi and acted in self defense when he attacked him last year. Sajed Aziz told the court he first had a testy verbal exchange on a street in the city in September last year. He claimed that the orthodox Jewish rabbi then grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and screamed at him. Aziz said he reacted by pulling a knife and stabbing at the rabbi, but insisted he could not recall what had happened next. He said he did not intend to kill the rabbi. Aziz testified he later looked at the knife, but did not see any blood on it. The young man apologized to Gurevitch at the opening of the trial. Aziz is a German citizen born of Afghan parents. He faces charges of attempted manslaughter, dangerous bodily harm and invasion of privacy. Aziz told police before his trial opened Thursday that the attack had no anti-Semitic motive. He has been held in detention since his arrest last year because he has a criminal record. A verdict in the trial is expected on May 19. |
