Teenager Dies After Israel Gay Pride Stabbing

A 16-year-old girl has died after being stabbed by a homophobic extremist during a gay pride parade in Jerusalem.

Shira Banki had been stabbed in the back, one of six people attacked during Thursday's event.

Hadar Elboim of Hadassah, a spokesman for the hospital where Shira died, said her organs would now be donated to help others.

Her attacker was later identified as Yishai Schlissel, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man who had only been released from prison three weeks earlier and had spoken out against the parade after regaining his freedom.

He had been serving a ten-year jail sentence after attacking a gay pride parade in 2005, injuring three people.

Shira's family said in a statement that the "magical" teenager had been "murdered because she was a happy 16-year-old - full of life and love - who came to express her support for her friends' right to live as they choose".

They added: "For no good reason and, because of evil, stupidity and negligence, the life of our beautiful flower was cut short.

"Bad things happen to good people and a very bad thing happened to our amazing girl."

Most of Jerusalem's residents are conservative in their adherence to religion - be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism - but, although previous parades have prompted threats, violence towards homosexual people are rare.