After failing to get inside a synagogue where more than 80 people were attending Yom Kippur services in Halle, Germany, a heavily armed gunman shot two people dead, left explosives outside the synagogue, and threw a hand-grenade into a nearby Jewish cemetery before being captured by police.
The suspect was identified as Steven Balliet, 27. Dressed in military fatigues and wearing a head-mounted camera and microphone, the gunman live-streamed the attack along with an anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant diatribe.
Jewish community member Max Privorozki told German news magazine Der Spiegel that a camera at the entrance of the synagogue showed a person trying to break into the building.
”The assailant shot several times at the door and also threw several Molotov cocktails or grenades to force his way in,” said Privorozki. ”But the door remained closed – G‑d protected us. The whole thing lasted perhaps five to 10 minutes.” After failing to enter the synagogue as the terrified congregation barricaded themselves inside, witnesses said the gunman shot a woman dead in the street.
The shooter then drove to a kebab shop close to the synagogue where he shot one man dead. He then drove to a nearby Jewish cemetery where he threw a grenade that left a number of people injured.
The attack brought widespread condemnation from around Germany. The European Parliament held a moment of silence at the start of its session Wednesday to mark the attack. Security measures around synagogues and Jewish cemeteries across the country were increased after the shooting.
Wednesday’s shooting in the eastern German city of Halle outside of a synagogue was livestreamed on Amazon’s Twitch services, the company confirmed to CNBC – The video was 35 min long.
Where any of the victims that were killed Jewish?
one was in a kebbab shop, so don’t think so…miracle that the terrorist couldn’t get into the shul as he has a lot on munition and explosives, avinu malkwinu batail m’aleinu kol gsairos kashos..
The woman that was killed happened to be passing by as he was trying to get into the shul. And the other was a Turkish man in a kebab shop.
Moshiach now
Ne’ila is when Hashem locks the gates!
Chassidus explains that Hashem locks us INSIDE the palace!
This shooting happened while they were praying Ne’ila – during which they were b”h locked inside the shul – the palace of Hashem! And he was unable to enter!
this just cheered me up! Thanks for the reminder!
FYI
A miracle..
Starts with anti semitism. Think of all the Empires that seemed invincible throughout history. Their original cultures disappeared because they were blind to the signs of a destructive ideology -and through all the upheaval we need not fear because Am Yisroel stays on eternally, we stay the same while our enemies fade into nothingness.
Any human being killed is such a senseless way is SO shoking and sad… The voice of your brother’s blood are crying out to Me from the ground…
Lock the Front door to every shul is the least we should do.
Universal Noahide for Universal peace is the only way to bring peace
those 2 people’s families who died for the Jews should have comfort. even if they are not Jewish this is still very sad.
I agree even if they were not Jewish it’s still sad