The deadly far-right attack on a synagogue in the city of Halle in 2019 deeply shocked Germany and served as a warning to the country, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the attack, Faeser stressed that protecting Jewish lives and institutions in Germany remains a top priority for police and security services.
In the attack in Halle on October 9, 2019, an armed neo-Nazi attempted to break into the city’s synagogue on the high Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
Despite several attempts, the attacker was unable to penetrate the closed door of the synagogue. He fatally shot a passerby and then opened fire in a nearby kebab shop, killing a customer.
The perpetrator is serving a life sentence for two murders and several attempted murders.
Faeser also reported on Tuesday a spike in anti-Semitic incidents in Germany during the year since the deadly October 7 attacks on Israel launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“We stand with the Jewish communities and the Jews of Germany – especially in light of the disgusting hostility they experience,” Faeser said.
“We must continue to combat the murderous violence caused by right-wing extremism and right-wing terrorism, hatred of Jews and racism with all the tools at our disposal under the rule of law,” she said.
