Article contentOn Monday, a German regional court disposed of one of the country’s most nightmarish modern criminals, the right-wing terrorist Stephan Balliet. On Oct. 9 of last year — the date of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement — Balliet, an unemployed shut-in, attempted to storm a synagogue in the city of Halle. The German federation has a special budget for the protection of synagogues and Jewish institutions, but the state of Saxony-Anhalt had not taken any special precautions for Yom Kippur. Try refreshing your browser, or Colby Cosh: A German killer’s future comfortable life Back to videoThe horrified worshippers watched on security cameras as Balliet shot up the door, growing exasperated as it failed to yield. But he failed at even this, executing a disabled (and non-Muslim) 20-year-old painter who begged unsuccessfully for his life.

Source: National Post December 24, 2020 11:05 UTC