Marseille attacker of 3, including rabbi, sentenced to 4 years

(JTA) — A man who stabbed a Jewish man and assaulted a rabbi and his son in Marseille was sentenced to four years in prison.

The Correctional Tribunal of Marseille sentenced Farid Haddouche, 32, on Wednesday for aggravated assault he committed on Oct. 24, the France3 television channel reported. Haddouche’s victims were returning from the synagogue when they were assaulted.

Haddouche was deemed unfit to stand trial because of mental issues following a psychiatric evaluation, but further inquiries led to his indictment later that month.

The Marseille branch of CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish communities, requested that police and justice officials re-examine Haddouche’s case following reports that he shouted anti-Semitic slogans during the attack. The victims told Michelle Teboul, president of the local CRIF branch, that Haddouche had deliberately targeted them because they were Jewish.

Before assaulting the Jews, the assailant, who was inebriated at the time, hurled a canister containing tear gas at a municipal employee. The rabbi and his son were lightly wounded, while the third victim sustained medium injuries.

In a court testimony, Haddouche’s mother said her son had no history of mental illness and was sane to the best of her knowledge.

In addition to the four-year sentence, Haddouche was given a suspended sentence of 18 months.

The National Bureau for Vigilance against anti-Semitism, a Drancy-based watchdog, praised the judiciary for imposing the punishment, which it deemed as “very dissuasive” to others contemplating assaulting Jews.

On Nov. 18, another Jewish man was stabbed and moderately injured in Marseille by a man who was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the symbol of the ISIS terrorist group. Police have no suspects in custody in connection with the assault.