Only Suspended Sentence for Attacker of Milan Shliach
A Milan court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended, for his role in the September attack on Rabbi Tzemach Mizrahi, the Rebbe’s Shliach and rabbi of Milan’s central Chabad community. The defendant was convicted of incitement to commit crimes motivated by racial, religious and ethnic discrimination • Read More
A court in Milan has sentenced Ilyes Zahani, 20, to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended, for attacking Rabbi Tzemach Mizrahi, the Rebbe’s Shliach and rabbi of Milan’s central Chabad community.
The sentence was handed down on Thursday following an abbreviated trial. Zahani was convicted of propaganda and incitement to commit crimes motivated by racial, religious and ethnic discrimination.
The attack took place on September 16, when Rabbi Mizrahi was waiting at a bus stop in Piazzale Bande Nere. Three young men approached him, took his hat and mocked him. When the Rabbi began recording them on his phone, one of the attackers kicked him, knocking him off the sidewalk and into the road.
The court recognized mitigating circumstances after Zahani was admitted to a restorative justice program. The prosecution requested the reduced sentence, noting that the defendant had expressed a willingness to participate in the process and had sought the involvement of the Rabbi who was attacked, including through a letter from a Jewish organization.
The eight-month sentence was suspended, meaning Zahani will not serve the prison term immediately. Instead, he will remain free under the conditions of the suspended sentence. If he violates those conditions or commits another offense that triggers the suspension, he could be required to serve the original prison term.
The case also drew attention to the backgrounds of the three suspects. Zahani was born in Italy to Tunisian parents. His older brother, Battar Zahani, a Tunisian national, was deported to Tunisia in October. The third suspect, a Moroccan national, was also deported from Italy and returned to Morocco.
Following the conviction, reports in the Italian media indicated that Ilyes Zahani himself was taken into immigration detention and could also face deportation to Tunisia, despite having been born and raised in Italy.
Rabbi Mizrahi did not join the proceedings as a civil plaintiff.
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