A man who brandished a knife and screamed “Allah Akbar” at random pedestrians on the streets of Paris while demanding to know if they were Jewish will not serve any prison time.
The man, who was arrested on Dec. 11, was issued a six-month suspended sentence on Jan. 8 for the attack, which targeted two individuals on the street. Although convicted of assault with the use of a weapon and threatening to kill someone due to race, ethnicity or religion, the suspended sentence means he will only serve probation for the crime.
When police arrested him, he was tested and his alcohol level was at 1.58 grams per liter of blood. He defended his actions by saying: “I have no memories… I don’t know why I did what I did.”
He said, however, that the threats he delivered coincided with the anniversary of his mother’s death, according to French newspaper Le Figaro.
“I had a bout of the blues, and I got lost in my own head. I ask for forgiveness,” he added.
When police searched his home, they found knives, a baseball, and Muslim religious objects. Although there have been increased tensions between the Muslim and Jewish communities in France since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Gaza, the man denied being an active supporter of Palestinians.
