STOCKHOLM—Swedish police has stepped up security around the Jewish community after a Jewish woman was brutally stabbed on the street in the city of Helsingborg, in southern Sweden, on Tuesday.
A Jewish woman is fighting for her life after she was stabbed on the street in the centre of the Swedish city of Helsingborg early on Tuesday morning.
According to press reports, the woman, who is around 60 years old and is an active member of the city’s Jewish commnity, was in hospital being treated for life-threatening injuries. Regional newspaper Helsingborgs Dagblad reported that witnesses heard a woman scream “help me, help me” in English.
Reports suggest the suspect, who is on the run, is Muslim and known to Swedish authorities.
Police stationed officers outside von Platenska Huset, the historic villa which serves as the city’s synagogue, after the stabbing.
A police source told the Sydsvenskan newspaper that officers were as yet unsure if the attack was anti-Semitic. “That is something we are analyzing right now,” the source said.
“We don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if the attack has something to do with her being active in the community,” one of the community’s members told Swedish state television broadcaster SVT.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin commented on the attack. “Once again, Jews in Europe are in danger,” he said. “Today’s brutal stabbing of a member of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden is yet another reminder that we cannot rely on fading memories of the Holocaust to keep Jewish communities safe, as our schools, synagogues and community centers are turning into fortresses.”
“We will fight anti-Semitism with all our might, and will speak out against these dreadful incidents,” he added. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, her family and community.”