Teenage suspect in attack on rabbi sentenced to 16 months in prison

(AFP) A teenager who attacked a rabbi in a central French city was sentenced to 16 months in prison by the juvenile court on Wednesday, after a long day of hearings in which he denied responsibility.

The attack took place last month as Rabbi Arie Engelberg was walking with his nine-year-old son from a synagogue in Orleans, about 110 kilometres (about 70 miles) south of Paris.

After the teenager was arrested, he told investigators that he was Palestinian, but later said during a hearing that he was Moroccan and 16 years old.

According to his lawyer, the teenager arrived less than a year ago in France, where he has no family.

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