A suspected assailant in the September 16th attack on three Jewish teenagers wearing Yarmulkas in Paris [reported HERE on YWN] may have been Jewish, a French Jewish leader said.

Richard Prasquier, the president of the CRIF umbrella organization told the EJP that the fact that one of the suspects may have been Jewish “complicated” the affair but did not contradict the anti-Semitic nature of the crime.

“The police say it’s not anti-Semitic if a Jew is involved, but for me, if you throw a stone at a youth wearing a Kipah, it’s anti-Semitic,” he said. “There was an anti-Semitic nature to this attack.”

A spokeswoman for Paris investigators said that six suspects were being held for questioning, but that it was “too early” to elaborate further on the incident and faith of those involved.

The attack occurred on the same street where 17-year-old Rudy Haddad was severely beaten in June [reported HERE on YWN].

The three  were walking in the street on Shabbos afternoon when another group of youths threw a walnut at them. One of the Jewish youths approached the other group to ask for an explanation and was encircled and beaten. The other two Jewish youths went to help their friend and were also beaten.

One of the youths suffered a broken nose and another a fractured cheekbone, while all three had bruises.

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and Paris Mayor Betrand Delanoe have denounced the aggression as anti-Semitic.

(Dov Gordon – YWN / EJP)