Three convicted of firebomb attack at Swedish synagogue
Men charged after attack on Gothenberg shul that took place hours after anti-Israel demonstration in the city
Three men were convicted of attempted arson against a synagogue in Gothenburg in southern Sweden.
They were part of a group of more than a dozen men who hurled firebombs at the synagogue in December hours after locals marched in the city against the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The attack occurred while youths from the local Jewish community were attending a party inside the synagogue complex. The teenagers’ parents were called to take them home after the incident. The teens waited for police and their parents in the synagogue basement for safety reasons.
One of the attackers was a 22-year-old Palestinian who had his asylum application rejected after the attack and who will be deported after serving his jail sentence. Another attacker also was Palestinian and a third Syrian, both with Swedish residency permits, according to the Associated Press.
They were convicted and sentenced in Gothenberg District Court on Monday. Two of the men were sentenced to two years in prison and the third to 15 months.
The attack, which was classified as a hate crime, was caught on surveillance cameras, according to Aftonbladet.
There was only minor damage to the building.
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