Italian authorities on Friday said that security would be increased at “sensitive” sites across the country after a Jewish man was stabbed on a street in Milan on Thursday night, reported The Local news website.
The department of public safety said in a statement that "vigilance and control will be intensified" at places of Jewish worship and locations linked to Israel, the Italy-based website reported.
The haredi man, Natan Graff, was attacked while walking alone on via San Gimignano, in a Jewish area of Milan.
According to The Local, a witness attempted to intervene but the attacker, whose face was partially covered, managed to escape, sparking a massive police hunt. There are suspicions that the assailant could have been an Arab woman.
Graff, who lived in Milan and held Israeli citizenship, was stabbed “between three and nine times” outside a kosher pizzeria and close to a Jewish school.
He was taken to the city’s Niguarda hospital, where he underwent surgery for wounds to the face, back, throat and arm. He is in a stable condition, according to the report.
Thursday’s incident came amid an increase in anti-Semitic attacks in Europe. A senior European Union official recently warned of rising anti-Semitism in Europe as attacks and threats against Jews continue in EU member countries.
As well, the European Jewish Congress recently released a damning report revealing a spike in anti-Semitism throughout Europe.
Last month, three Jewish men, including a rabbi, were attacked in the French city of Marseille as they were walking to synagogue on Shabbat morning. The man who attacked them with a knife was yelling anti-Semitic remarks.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)