page_title: Halle synagogue shooting
section_title: Attack
hierarchical_section_title: Halle synagogue shooting / Attack
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Einschusslöcher in der Tür zur Synagoge, Jüdische Gemeinde zu Halle (Saale) English: Bullet holes in the entrance door of the synagogue in Halle (Saale), Germany
context_page_description: The Halle synagogue shooting occurred on 9 October 2019 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and continued in nearby Landsberg. After unsuccessfully trying to enter the synagogue in Halle during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the attacker fatally shot two people nearby and later injured two others.
  Federal investigators called the attack far-right and antisemitic terrorism. The federal Public Prosecutor General took over the investigation and declared it to be a "violation of Germany's internal security." A 27-year-old German neo-Nazi from Saxony-Anhalt, Stephan Balliet, was charged with two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder.
  On 10 November 2019, the suspect confessed to the charges before an investigative judge at the Federal Court of Justice. He is scheduled to stand trial in the summer of 2020.
context_section_description: The attack started around noon, on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, at the synagogue in the Paulusviertel neighborhood of Halle. The attacker arrived there after a 45-minute drive from Benndorf, where he lived with his mother. He live-streamed himself trying, but failing, to enter the synagogue. The gunman shot at the door's lock repeatedly and set off an explosive but the door was not breached, in part because the synagogue's security system had been recently upgraded. The upgrade included a security camera which allowed the 51 congregants inside to view the gunman's attempts to enter the synagogue. The attacker tried to enter the synagogue yard, firing shots and trying to ignite home-made explosives. At 12.03 p.m., a 112-distress call reached Halle fire-emergency HQ; one minute later, police were informed. At 2.40 p.m., federal police quick responders BFE+ arrived in the city of Halle.
  A female passer-by was shot several times and killed near the entrance to the Jewish cemetery next to the synagogue, after reprimanding the attacker for making noise. A man who stopped his vehicle to check on this woman was able to get away unharmed when the attacker's weapon failed to fire.
  After killing the woman, the attacker drove to a nearby Turkish kebab shop. There, he opened fire through the front window with a shotgun. A customer in the shop was injured and later killed when the attacker re-entered the shop.
  Authorities said they were dealing with a "rampage situation", activated the Public Alert System Katwarn, and advised the local community to stay at home and closed the city's train station.
  The attacker fled in a rented Volkswagen, leading police on an 80-kilometre (50 mi) chase from Halle. First, he drove to Wiedersdorf near Landsberg, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-east of Halle. At about 4.00 p.m., a helicopter of the federal police landed in Wiedersdorf. Several police force personnel carriers and two ambulances were already present.
caption: Synagogue door with bullet holes from the attack
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