The suspect arrested for the deadly attacks last Wednesday on a synagogue and Turkish restaurant in the German city of Halle has said his acts were driven by far-right ideology and a hatred of Jews. The shooting and bombing rampage followed a series of attacks around Europe by ultra-right groups, prompting the EU police agency Europol, in a recent confidential report, to urge increased cooperation to contain the problem. But Europol also gave a chilling warning that the extremists “are attempting to win over members from the military and security services” in order to build “combat skills”.
German federal prosecutors on Friday said the suspect arrested after the attack on a synagogue and Turkish restaurant in the east-central city of Halle last Wednesday, which left two people dead, has admitted responsibility and said his acts were driven by anti-Semitism and his support for far-right ideology. He has been identified as Stephan Balliet, 27.
