Haaretz
Tevet 13, 5766
MOSCOW - Russian prosecutors said Friday a young
man accused of attacking worshippers at a Moscow synagogue has been
charged with racially motivated attempted murder, assault and actions
aimed at humiliating national or religious groups.
The Moscow
prosecutors' office said Alexander Koptsev, 20, had said during
interrogation that he had committed the crime "out of envy toward them
(Jews), since they live better," and that he had been inspired by books
and Internet sites. He also told investigators that one of his motivations
was "my desire to die," it said.
Koptsev said in televised comments
that he was retracting a statement he made in custody, but he appeared to
be referring to an earlier statement - not the one made public by
prosecutors.
"After I was detained, I made statements. I retract
them," he said from behind the bars of a courtroom cage in televised
footage, his hair very short and his face marked with cuts and bruises.
"The next day, an investigator came. I had myself more or less under
control, and I made a normal statement."
The Moscow prosecutors'
office could not be reached for comment, but its news release said
Koptsev's statements about his motives came in the presence of a
lawyer.
Koptsev allegedly stabbed and wounded eight men at a
central Moscow synagogue on Wednesday evening.
A 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 emboldened by
authorities' mild approach to prosecuting hate crimes and complain that
literature from Nazis and other extremists is sold freely.
In the
southern city of Rostov-on-Don, an intoxicated young man shouting
anti-Semitic slogans was detained as he tried to enter a synagogue Friday
and was jailed for five days for hooliganism, regional police spokesman
Sergei Sidorov said. He denied a report that the man threatened people
with the neck of a broken bottle.
The lower house of parliament's
legislative committee has prepared a package of bills to strengthen
anti-extremist legislation, committee head Pavel Krasheninnikov said
Friday, according to the Interfax news agency.
Jewish leaders,
however, have demanded that authorities push for better enforcement of
existing laws.
U.S. Ambassador William Burns visited the synagogue
on Friday morning.
"The United States welcomes Russian government
statements condemning the attack and Prosecutor General (Vladimir)
Ustinov's intent to oversee personally the criminal case," Burns said in a
statement at the synagogue.
"We urge the Russian authorities to use
all legal means to prosecute the perpetrator of this crime, and stop any
such attacks in the future. It is crucially important to fight extremism
in all its forms," Burns said.
Russian lawmakers take on
extremism
The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament
said Thursday that lawmakers might consider tougher legislation to prevent
extremism after a knife attack on worshipers at a Moscow synagogue that
wounded 11 people.
The attack at the Chabad Bronnaya synagogue came
amid an increase in the activity of hate groups in Russia and in the
number of racist crimes. Jewish leaders said the attack should serve as a
clear message to Russian authorities and the public to fight
racism.
Russian political parties, religious communities and the
Russian Foreign Ministry all condemned the attack.
Parliamentary
Speaker Boris Gryzlov said that while Russia had adequate legal means to
fight any form of extremism, "if it does not guarantee the absence of such
incidents that means we should consider toughening this
legislation."
"The provocations of those who would like to bring
about discord in Russian society and ignite national and religious
dissension, which have not succeeded, will not succeed," the Russian
Foreign Ministry said. "We will continue an uncompromising struggle
against all manifestations of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and religious
intolerance."
NTV television said that five of the wounded remained
hospitalized yesterday and that three were in serious condition. Among
these were Israeli Yehezkel Menahem Aharon, Israeli sources
said.
The attacker burst into the synagogue, shouted "I will kill
Jews!" and began slashing at worshipers. The son of a rabbi wrestled him
to the ground.
Police said they assumed the stabber belonged to a
group with a nationalist, right wing and anti-Semitic ideology.