2 dead in Germany shooting near synagogue

By Mike Hayes, Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 7:18 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019
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7:18 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

What we know about the shooting in Halle

Sebastian Willnow/dpa/AP
Sebastian Willnow/dpa/AP

Two people were killed today following a shooting rampage near a synagogue in the eastern German town of Halle.

Here's what else we know about the shooting:

  • The suspect: A 27-year-old male named Stephan B. has been arrested, according to a spokesman for the German Federal Prosecutor.
  • The victims: A woman and man were killed in the shooting rampage. The woman was shot near the town's synagogue and a man was struck in a kebab shop roughly 600 meters away from the synagogue. Their killings appear in a live-streamed video.
  • There's a video of the attack: A 35-minute video, which appears to have been filmed by the gunman, was posted on Twitch, an online video streaming platform that is most commonly used to stream live video of video games.
  • The motive: The German Federal Prosecutors office told CNN that the attack appears to have been motivated by "extreme far-right and anti-Semitic" views. The suspected gunman in the German attack launched into a brief anti-Semitic rant in the video, claiming the Holocaust "never happened" and saying that the root of some of the world's problems are the Jews.
  • Today is Yom Kippur: The incident comes on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

4:51 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

Suspect in Halle attack has been identified

From Adam Berry and Saskya Vandoorne in Halle

The suspect in the Halle attack has been identified as a 27-year-old man, according to a spokesperson for the German federal prosecutor.

The spokesperson identified the suspect as “Stephan B.” The spokesperson would only provide the suspect's first name and the first initial of his last name.

 

3:46 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

Twitch confirms suspected attack video was live-streamed on its platform

From CNN's Donie O’Sullivan

A Twitch spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the video believed to be of the Halle attack was live-streamed on its platform.

Twitch is on online video streaming platform that is most commonly used to stream live video of video games.

What we know about the video: The 35-minute video appears to have been filmed by the gunman who killed two people. The video appears to have been filmed with a camera mounted on the helmet of the attacker. 

3:39 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

German shooting suspect posted anti-Semitic rant

From CNN's Donie O’Sullivan

The suspected gunman in today's shootings – who appears to have filmed a video of the attack — launched into a brief anti-Semitic rant, claiming the Holocaust “never happened” and saying that the root of some of the world’s problems are the Jews. 

The video, which was filmed in a first-shooter perspective, bears striking resemblances to the video filmed by the suspect in the Christchurch attack in New Zealand in March.

The video was posted to Twitch, an online video platform best known for hosting streams of video games. 

The 35-minute video shows a gunman shooting multiple individuals and driving to multiple locations, including a synagogue and a kebab shop. 

3:32 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

German Chancellor Merkel attends vigil at Berlin synagogue

From CNN's Schams Elwazer

Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images for DFB
Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images for DFB

Chancellor Angela Merkel attended a vigil today at a synagogue in Berlin following a shooting rampage in the eastern German town of Halle, according to government spokesperson Steffen Seibert.

"We must fight against any form of anti-Semitism," said Seibert, who tweeted a photo of Merkel at today's vigil.

3:21 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

German prosecutor investigating suspected attack video

From Adam Berry and Saskya Vandoorne

Germany’s federal prosecutor is investigating the video that appears to have been filmed by a helmet camera worn by the attacker who killed two people in Halle today, a spokesperson told CNN. 

Annette Hechler, the federal prosecutor's spokesperson, said she would not comment on the identity of the suspect who is in police custody or on the weapon that was used in the attack.

The 35-minute video was posted on Twitch, an online video streaming platform that is most commonly used to stream live video of video games.

2:38 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

Video appears to show Halle attack

From CNN's Schams Elwazer

A 35-minute video has been posted online that appears to have been filmed by the gunman who killed two people — one outside a synagogue and one in a kebab shop — in the German town of Halle.

The video appears to have been filmed with a camera mounted on the helmet of the attacker.

The video was posted on Twitch, an online video streaming platform that is most commonly used to stream live video of video games.

“We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Germany today, and our deepest condolences go out to all those affected,” Twitch said in a statement. 

“Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against hateful conduct, and any act of violence is taken extremely seriously. We are working with urgency to remove this content and permanently suspend any accounts found to be posting or reposting content of this abhorrent act," the company said.

Halle police referred CNN to the federal prosecutor’s office. The federal prosecutor would not comment on the video.

2:29 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

Israel's Netanyahu condemns Halle attack

From CNN's Oren Liebermann

Amir Levy/Getty Images
Amir Levy/Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack on the synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, calling it a sign of growing anti-Semitism.

Here's part of Netanyahu's statement from Wednesday evening:

"The terror attack against the Jewish community of Halle, Germany on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for our people, is another manifestation of the anti-Semitism in Europe. In the name of the Jewish people, we send our deepest condolences to the grieving families and wish speedy recovery to the injured," Netanyahu said.

President of Israel Reuven Rivlin said, "We are stunned and pained by the terrible anti-Semitic murders in Germany today, during the holiest and most important day of the year for all Jews around the world. I call on the leaders of Germany and the free world to bring the full force of law against anti-Semitism and its results."

Two people were killed in shootings close to a synagogue and nearby kebab shop. A German security official said he believes the attack was "motivated by far-right ideology."

2:01 p.m. ET, October 9, 2019

10 Americans in Halle synagogue all unharmed

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

US Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell said 10 Americans at the Halle synagogue today were not injured.

“We have identified 10 Americans who were inside the synagogue at the time of the attack, all are safe and unharmed,” Grenell wrote on Twitter.

The US Embassy in Berlin also condemned the deadly shooting in a tweet.

“We strongly condemn the attack on the synagogue in #Halle today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. This attack is an attack on all of us and the perpetrators must be held accountable. We mourn the victims of this senseless violence. #hal0910,” it wrote.