Israeli court convicts stabber for killing teen in gay parade

An Israeli court on Tuesday convicted a Jewish ultra-Orthodox man for murdering a girl and attempting to murder five other people during Jerusalem gay pride parade in 2015.

Yishai Schlissel, 39, was arrested during a stabbing rampage on July 30, 2015, after stabbing and wounding six people. One of the victims, 16-year-old Shira Banki, died of her injuries a few days later, Xinhua news agency reported.

In 2005, Schlissel was sentenced to ten years in prison for carrying out a similar stabbing attack in the Jerusalem pride parade, injuring three people. He was released from jail only three weeks before perpetrating his second anti-gay attack.

The Jerusalem district court's ruling criticised the police for knowing about Schlissel and not stopping him.

It is "inconceivable" how easily Schlissel arrived at the parade and penetrated the lax security arrangements, they said.

The killing shocked the Israeli society, prompting across-the-board condemnation by political leaders.