French court orders trial over brutal, alleged anti-Semitic murder of woman, 85

[Valin]

The Times Of Israel

Prosecutors say 2018 killing of Mireille Knoll was ‘committed because of the victim’s religion,’ but lawyer for defendants denies motive

AFP

13 July 2020

Mireille Knoll, center, with her son Daniel and granddaughter Jessica. (Daniel Knoll via AP)

PARIS, France — French judges on Monday ordered two men to stand trial for the brutal 2018 killing of an elderly Jewish woman that prompted an outcry over a rise in anti-Semitic acts.

Mireille Knoll, 85 and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, was stabbed in her Paris apartment by attackers who later set her body on fire, apparently to hide evidence of their crime.

 

She had escaped the mass deportation of Jews from France during World War II by fleeing abroad.

A longtime neighbor, Yacine Mihoub, and associate Alexandre Carrimbacus were later arrested on charges of murder and aggravated robbery, though prosecutors did not initially characterize the killing as anti-Semitic.

Under questioning, Carrimbacus accused Mihoub of yelling “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest” in Arabic) while stabbing Knoll, and of justifying the attack by saying “Jews have money.”

(Snip)