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German court convicts man of murder over synagogue attack

Posted December 21, 2020 6:00 am

The Associated Press

The defendant Stephan Balliet sits in the courtroom of the district court on the 26th day of the trial before the court's verdict in Magdeburg, Germany, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. The Federal Prosecution accuses the Halle assassin of 13 crimes, including murder and attempted murder. The assassin had tried to cause carnage in the synagogue in Halle on Oct.19, 2019 on the highest Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. (Hendrik Schmidt/Pool via AP) The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) - A German court on Monday convicted a right-wing extremist of murder and attempted murder and sentenced him to life in prison for his attack on a synagogue last year on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. He killed two people after he failed to gain entry to the building.

The Oct. 9, 2019, attack is considered one of the worst anti-Semitic assaults in Germany's post-war history.

The 28-year-old defendant, Stephan Balliet, posted a screed against Jews before trying to shoot his way into the synagogue in the eastern city of Halle while broadcasting the attack live on a popular gaming site.

Judges at the Naumburg state court, which met in the state capital of Magdeburg for security and capacity reasons, on Monday found him 'œseriously culpable," news agency dpa reported. That means he will be effectively barred from early release after 15 years, which is typical for people in Germany given life sentences.

Presiding Judge Ursula Mertens described it as a 'œcowardly attack'ť as she announced the verdict. Balliet showed no reaction but took notes.

During his trial, which began in July, Balliet admitted he wanted to enter the synagogue and kill all the 51 people inside. When he was unable to open the building's heavy doors, the German shot and killed a 40-year-old woman in the street outside and a 20-year-old man at a nearby kebab shop, and wounded several others.

He apologized to the court for killing the woman, saying that 'œI didn't want to kill whites.'ť

German authorities have vowed to step up measures against far-right extremism following the Halle attack, the killing of a regional politician by a suspected neo-Nazi and the fatal shooting of nine people of immigrant background in Hanau - all of which happened within a year.

The synagogue's damaged door, pockmarked with bullet holes, became a symbol of concern about rising anti-Semitism in Germany.

The head of Germany's Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, said the verdict marked 'œan important day for Germany.'ť

'œThe verdict makes clear that murderous hatred of Jews meets with no tolerance,'ť he said in a statement. 'œUp to the end, the attacker showed no remorse, but kept to his hate-filled anti-Semitic and racist world view.'ť

The defendant Stephan Balliet is escorted from the vehicle by court personnel upon his arrival at the district court in Magdeburg, Germany, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. The court's verdict is expected afterwards. The federal prosecution accuses the assassin of Halle 13 crimes, including murder and attempted murder. The assassin had tried to cause carnage in the synagogue in Halle on Oct. 9, 2019 on the highest Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

The defendant Stephan Balliet is led to a van before the beginning of the sentencing in the trial on the terrorist attack in Halle at the Magdeburg airfield in Magdeburg, Germany, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. The court's verdict is expected afterwards. The federal prosecution accuses the assassin of Halle 13 crimes, including murder and attempted murder. The assassin had tried to cause carnage in the synagogue in Halle on Oct. 9, 2019 on the highest Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. (Sebastian Willnow/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

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