(JTA) An appeals court ruling that a man who killed a Jewish woman in her home while shouting Quranic verses is unfit to stand trial is prompting outraged reactions from French Jews who fear it sets a dangerous precedent that will undermine the fight against anti-Semitism.
Kobili [Traore] admitted to killing 67-year-old Sarah Halimi in 2017 in a long and gruesome beating in which neighbors heard him quoting from the Quran and calling his victim a “demon.” But despite [Traore] having no history of mental illness, the Paris Appeals Court earlier this month upheld a lower court ruling that [Traore] is unfit to stand trial because he had a “delirious episode” brought on by his consumption of marijuana. The judge in the case also determined that [Traore] was anti-Semitic.
