A Jewish student has been badly injured in an attack by a man wielding a shovel as he entered a synagogue in the northern city of Hamburg.

The 26-year-old sustained severe head injuries and was taken to hospital, according to local media.

The suspected attacker was arrested and police confirmed they were investigating the case as attempted murder with anti-Semitic intent.

Security guards and police officers deployed to the Hamburg synagogue, where people were marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, swiftly subdued and arrested a 29-year-old man, whose name the authorities did not disclose.

The suspect was carrying a piece of paper with a swastika in his pocket, the German news agency DPA reported.

The 26-year-old victim, who was wearing a kipa, or skullcap, when he was attacked, suffered grave head wounds and was taken to a hospital, the police said.

Germany’s general prosecutor has taken over investigations into the case because of the possible extremist background behind the assault.

Last month Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of rising anti-Semitism.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe…

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/wo…

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/202…