The Israeli Foreign Ministry has claimed that the man arrested earlier this week in connection with the allegedly anti-Semitic stabbing of a Jewish woman in Sweden is a member of the Islamic faith.
The attack occurred in the Swedish city of Helsingborg earlier this week and saw the woman, in her 60’s, stabbed up to nine times by her attacker who fled the scene following the incident. According to a report from the Times of Israel, local Jewish leaders say the motive for the attack was anti-Semitism and that the woman was the wife of a local Jewish leader.
The suspect in the case was arrested only days later in neighbouring Denmark with authorities saying that he would be extradited to Sweden where he will face charges in connection with the stabbing attack.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke out about the case saying, “Once again, Jews in Europe are in danger. Today’s brutal stabbing of a member of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden, is yet another reminder that we cannot rely on fading memories of the Holocaust to keep today’s Jewish communities safe, as our schools, synagogues and community centres are turning into fortresses.”
“We will fight anti-Semitism with all our might and will speak out against these dreadful incidents. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, her family and community,” he said.
The attack comes only a year after the brutal killing of 85-year-old Mireille Knoll in Paris. The Holocaust survivor is believed to have been stabbed 11 times in her apartment before it was set on fire. It was later revealed that the suspect in the case, 25-year-old Yacine Mihoub, had shown signs of Islamic radicalisation.
Anti-Semitic attacks have surged in many countries in Europe since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, including in Germany where in the capital of Berlin, violent anti-Semitic attacks tripled in 2018 compared to the previous year.
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