The Russian Supreme Court on Tuesday annulled the verdict of Alexander Koptsev, who was convicted of stabbing eight worshippers in a Moscow synagogue, thereby granting the appeal filed by the Prosecutor General's office.
The office appealed on the insistence that additional investigation into the case was necessary, according to the Interfax news agency.
Koptsev, who stabbed his victims with a hunting knife, was diagnosed with a chronic schizophrenic condition, but was deemed sane at the time of the attack.
He was sentenced to 13 years in prison and mandatory psychiatric treatment for racially-based attempted murder.
A charge of ethnic incitement against him was dropped during his Moscow City Court trial.
Copyright 1995-2006 The Jerusalem Post
