German authorities charge 22-year-old man with stabbing rabbi

A 22-year-old German man has been charged with attempted manslaughter for stabbing a rabbi last year, Frankfurt prosecutors said Thursday.

The suspect, who was not identified, also faces charges of causing dangerous bodily harm and invasion of privacy in connection with the Sept. 7 attack on Zalman Gurevitch, prosecutors said in a statement.

The rabbi told authorities his assailant said, "I'll kill you, you (expletive) Jew," prosecutors said. The man then pulled out a knife with a 7.6-centimeter blade and stabbed the rabbi in the stomach.

The accused has denied the attack had an anti-Semitic motive or that he wanted to kill Gurevitch, telling police he felt physically inferior to the rabbi and was acting in self defense.

Prosecutors said they tracked down the suspect after being tipped off to an Internet forum that contained details of the incident. He has been held in detention since his arrest due to his criminal record, which includes another case of causing bodily harm.

The attack prompted concern and condemnation from local politicians and Jewish groups.

The indictment comes weeks after five Jewish teenagers were assaulted by a group of punks in Berlin, arousing concern from organized Jewish groups of renewed anti-Semitism.