Syrian teen on trial in Germany over anti-Semitic assault

A 19-year-old from Syria is on trial in Berlin over an assault in the German capital on an Israeli wearing a skullcap.

The young man is charged with bodily harm and slander. The April 17 attack caused nationwide outrage and fueled concerns over anti-Semitism in Germany.

German news agency dpa reports that the verdict could come later today.

The victim, an Arab Israeli who has said he isn’t Jewish but wore the skullcap as a personal experiment, caught the assault on video, showing the attacker whipping him with a belt while shouting “Yehudi!” — Arabic for “Jew.”

Prosecutors say the suspect was assigned to a home for refugees outside Berlin, but lived in the city without a fixed address. He turned himself in two days after the assault.

— AP