Moscow synagogue attacker mentally ill, say experts
15 March 2006
March 15, 2006
Scientific experts have told a Moscow court that the man accused of a knife attack on a central Moscow synagogue suffered from a schizotypical disorder, a chronic condition that rendered him temporarily insane. On January 11, 2006, the 20-year-old Alexander Koptsev stabbed nine people in the synagogue with a hunting knife he had taken from his father. Prosecutor Kira Gudim said it had been Koptsev's third attempt to attack a synagogue, after two failed attacks in late December and early January. Gudim said that after reading anti-Semitic texts Koptsev had come to the conclusion that Jews were the enemies of Russia and had to be killed. Koptsev faces up to 20 years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty.
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