A Swiss court on Tuesday sentenced a Muslim teenager who stabbed a Chareidi man 17 times in Zurich in an antisemitic terror attack to one year in prison after convicting him of attempted murder, but he may not actually serve time behind bars. Swiss media reported that the sentence was suspended so the 17-year-old can instead be placed in a treatment and rehabilitation institution.
The judge said that murdering Jews simply because they are Jews is “an act devoid of conscience,” but acquitted the attacker of the charge of making repeated threats. His attorney had asked the court to convict him of attempted manslaughter rather than attempted murder, and also argued that he should be cleared of the allegation that he intended to murder additional people.
The attack took place on March 2, 2024, when the assailant, who was 15 at the time, attacked the victim from behind with a knife in Zurich and stabbed him repeatedly. According to the report, he first aimed for the victim’s neck and head and ultimately tried to slit his throat, inflicting 17 stab wounds in total.
According to the indictment, the teen became radicalized after Hamas’ October 7 massacre. In January 2024, he began searching online for information about ISIS, bomb-making, and ways to carry out attacks. He was accused of planning for weeks to “kill as many Jews as possible,” and exchanged information online with another person who shared similar views about how to produce explosives and carry out the attack.
After deciding bomb-making was too complicated, prosecutors say he bought a butcher’s knife at a shopping center in Zurich the day before the attack. On social media, he reportedly asked, “What time do the Jews gather?” and intended to murder Jews while they were davening in shul. The indictment also says he began a livestream before the attack that recorded audio, but not video.
During the hearing, the judge sought to understand why the teenager identified with ISIS, how he planned the attack, and what he thinks today about the victim. But the defendant refused to answer any of the questions, repeatedly responding only, “No comment.” Because he remained silent, the judge referred to earlier statements in the case. According to those statements, the teen wanted to be killed by police after the attack so he could die as a “martyr” and “go to heaven.”
Under Swiss law, adults who seriously wound another person can face up to 10 years in prison, and murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. But because the attacker was only 15 at the time of the stabbing, prosecutors could seek only a much lighter sentence under Switzerland’s juvenile justice system. The court may still revoke his citizenship and deport him to Tunisia, his country of origin.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
