Moscow synagogue attacker jailed for 13 years

A man who attacked worshippers in a Moscow synagogue, wounding nine, was today sentenced to 13 years in prison and mandatory psychiatric treatment.

The Moscow City Court found Alexander Koptsev guilty of attempted murder on racist grounds for stabbing and wounding nine men in January with a hunting knife. He could have faced up to 20 years in prison; prosecutors asked for a 16-year sentence.

One million Jews live in Russia, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities, and the Jewish community now is experiencing a revival after a wave of emigration to Israel and other countries.

Rising xenophobia in recent years has seen hundreds of racially motivated attacks on targets including dark-skinned immigrants from former Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus Mountains region.

Rights activists say hate groups are encouraged by authorities’ mild approach to prosecuting hate crimes, and complain that literature from Nazis and other extremists is sold freely.