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Ultra-Orthodox Gay Pride Stabber Indicted

CBN

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- The man whose stabbing spree at Jerusalem's gay pride parade killed an Israeli teenager and wounded six others has been indicted for murder.

The stabbing attack left Shira Banki, 16, in critical condition, and despite efforts to save her life, she succumbed to her wounds within days.

Jerusalem District Court charged Yishai Schlissel, 39, with premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder, among other charges. The prosecution asked that he remain in custody through the trial.

Schlissel was declared fit to stand trial after psychiatric examination.

Just three weeks earlier, the defendant had been released after serving a 10-year prison sentence for stabbing three people at the 2005 gay pride parade.

Though police reportedly denied his request to join the march, he managed to join the crowd watching the parade. Within minutes, he pulled out a kitchen knife and began randomly stabbing people before police were able to stop him.

An investigation as to how Schlissel's name was left off a list of potential troublemakers provided to Jerusalem District Police is ongoing.

He refused legal representation, telling the judge, "You have no authority to judge me according to the laws of the Torah so I'm not interested in [legal] representation."

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