A. Koptsev, who attacked parishioners of a Moscow synagogue, has been charged

The Moscow prosecutor's office charged the previously detained Alexander Koptsev. The attacker on the parishioners of the synagogue on Bolshaya Bronnaya is accused of committing crimes under three articles of the Criminal Code: Part 2 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("attempted murder of two or more persons motivated by national and religious hatred"), Part 2 of Art. 282 ("actions aimed at humiliating the dignity of a group of persons on the grounds of nationality and attitude to religion") and Part 3 of Art. 111 ("causing grievous bodily harm based on religious hatred").

The prosecutor issued an arrest warrant.

On January 13, Koptsev himself retracted his own testimony given during the arrest. "The next day an investigator came to me, and I was more in control of myself," he said.

Sources

• Synagogue Massacre Man Charged Under Three Articles of Russian Criminal Code // Portal-Credo.ru. 2006. January 13th. (With reference to RIA Novosti)
• The man who attacked the parishioners of the Moscow synagogue renounces his previous testimony // Interfax-religion. 2006. January 13th.