Advertisement

Teen arrested for plotting attack on German synagogue

AFP
AFP - news@thelocal.de
Teen arrested for plotting attack on German synagogue
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2nd R) and Reiner Haseloff (2nd L), Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt lay a wreath at a memorial plate for the victims of the 2019 shooting in front of the synagogue in Halle (Saale) in 2024. Photo: Ronny HARTMANN / POOL / AFP

German authorities said Tuesday they were holding a teenager for allegedly planning to attack a synagogue targeted in 2019 by a far-right assailant.

The 19-year-old was accused of "planning a right-wing extremist attack on the synagogue in Halle", the local state prosecutor's office said in a statement.

In October 2019, a neo-Nazi tried to storm the synagogue in the eastern German city on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. He was unable to force his way inside and turned his fury on bystanders, fatally shooting two people.

READ ALSO: Suspect in Halle synagogue shooting shows no remorse on second day of trial

The teenaged suspect was not thought to have fixed a date for his attack but had recently procured a rifle, prosecutors said.

He is said to have repeatedly declared his intention to carry out the attack in a chat group on the Telegram messaging app between July and February this year.

The suspect was arrested on February 14th in Switzerland, where he was living at the time, and extradited to Germany on April 22nd.

Advertisement

German prosecutors accused the teen of "preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state in conjunction with the illegal possession of a firearm".

The suspect, who previously lived in Halle, "denies having seriously pursued the attack plans", prosecutors said, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

Germany has seen a growing number of far-right and neo-Nazi attacks in recent years.

READ ALSO: Far-right attacks on migrants doubled in Berlin last year

More

Comments

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at news@thelocal.de.
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also