Russia: Synagogue attacked after neo-Nazi trial

Molotov cocktails were hurled at a synagogue in Moscow overnight Tuesday. No injuries were reported. A spokesman on behalf of the local police claimed it was an act of vandalism.

However, a police source said the attack was in retaliation to punishment imposed on a group of neo-Nazis convicted of murdering 27 youths in 2007-2008.

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Police said there was no fire at the Darchei Shalom synagogue in northeast Moscow.

Defendants in court (Photo: AFP)

In Manhattan, a fire broke out at the Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue in the Upper East Side which was undergoing renovation. No injuries were reported, but severe damage was caused to the building. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

A Moscow court sentenced seven neo-Nazis to 10-23 years in prison after an 18-month trial. Five others were sentenced to life in prison. They were convicted of multiple murders, one of which they recorded on video which showed them beheading their victim.

The defendants claimed they were pressured into committing the acts.

The gang targeted mainly dark-skinned work migrants from the Caucasus area, Africa and South Asia. They attacked Chinese immigrants with knives, iron rods and sharpened screwdrivers. The court said that leader Lev Molotkov posed a "fierce threat to Russian society."

Stav Spivak contributed to this report

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