Man who stabbed six people at Jerusalem Pride ruled ‘fit to stand trial’
A man has been ruled fit to stand trial, after going on a stabbing rampage at Jerusalem Pride.
16-year-old Shira Banki was killed and five others were wounded, after an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man went on a stabbing rampage during Jerusalem’s Pride parade.
Alleged attacker Yishai Schlissel was arrested at the scene – and it later emerged he had been released from prison just three weeks before the attack, after serving a sentence for attacking the same parade in 2005.
Legal proceedings have been complicated as Schlissel continues to refuse counsel, and says he does not accept the legitimacy of the court.
Amid doubts about his sanity and competence to stand trial, Schlissel was sent for a psychiatric evaluation – but experts have ruled he is well enough to stand trial.
The Jerusalem Post reports that Schlissel was subjected to a 48-hour evalutation at a secure psychiatric hospital, where he was examined by a court-appointed psychiatrist.
However, the Haredi man has now been ruled fit to stand trial.
He continues to refuse to comply with the court system, claiming: “You have no authority to judge me according to the laws of the Torah, so I’m not interested in representation.”
A leaflet that Schlissel circulated prior to his attack on the Pride parade explained of his motivations: “It is the obligation of every Jew to keep his soul from punishment and stop this giant desecration of God’s name next Thursday. There is an obligation to stop the parade of sin at all costs.”
