Alexander Koptsev (born 1985) is a Russian-born terrorist. On January 11, 2006, Kopstev burst into
Bolshaya Bronnaya Synagogue
The Bolshaya Bronnaya Synagogue (russian: Московская Синагога на Большой Бронной улице) is a Russian synagogue, located at 6 Bolshaya Bronnaya Street in Moscow.
The synagogue was built as a private synagog ...
in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
during evening prayers and stabbed eight people with a hunting knife before being wrestled to the ground by the congregation's leader,
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Yitzhak Kogan, and his son Yosef Kogan. Four of those injured were in serious condition.
On January 13, 2006, Koptsev was charged with racially motivated attempted murder and humiliation of a religious group. He has been described by Russian media as a
racist skinhead
White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white nationalist organizations and ...
.
After the incident, Russia's Chief Rabbi
Berl Lazar
Shlomo Dov Pinchas Lazar (born May 19, 1964), better known as Berel Lazar, is an Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He began his service in Russia in 1990. Known for his friendship with Vladimir Putin, since 2000, he has been a Chief Ra ...
announced he was cutting short a visit to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
to return to Moscow. Lazar stated that the attack was a symptom of a general climate of
intolerance and xenophobia in Russia. Rabbi Kogan and his son were later awarded a medal of bravery by
President Vladimir Putin.
On February 28, 2006, Koptsev pleaded not guilty of attempting to murder Jewish worshipers at a synagogue. The official charge against him was attempted murder "motivated by racial hatred", a charge that is rarely brought in
Russian courts
The Judiciary of Russia interprets and applies the law of Russia. It is defined under the Constitution and law with a hierarchical structure with the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court at the apex. The district courts are the primary crimin ...
. Investigators found
anti-semitic pamphlets in his home, but insist that he was acting alone. He has been diagnosed with a
schizophrenic disorder, but prosecutors said he was still fit to stand trial.
On March 27, 2006, Koptsev was sentenced to 13 years in prison and mandatory psychiatric treatment after being found guilty of attempted murder.
On April 4, 2006, Koptsev's lawyer, Vladimir Kirsanov, appealed to Russia's Supreme Court to have his client's sentence reduced, arguing he was mentally unstable, did not kill anyone, and did not cause any disabling injuries. Prosecution lawyers appealed to include the charge of inciting interethnic hatred, which was dropped by the court.
[ ]
References
External links
Anti-Semitism alarms Russian Jews- BBC News, February 17, 2005
Russian MPs' letter angers Israel- BBC News, January 25, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koptsev, Alexander
Living people
Russian criminals
1985 births
Hate crimes
Russian prisoners and detainees
Prisoners and detainees of Russia
Antisemitic attacks and incidents in Europe