Stephan Balliet, 32, failed in his effort to murder Jews in 2019, failed in his effort to escape prison three years later, and now, has failed to avoid punishment for his crimes.
On Tuesday, the German neo-Nazi received an additional seven years and requirements to make restitution payments. Balliet was already serving a life sentence for his attempt to attack a synagogue in Halle, Germany, on Oct. 9, 2019.
Similar to Robert Bowers, who murdered 11 Jewish worshippers at the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018, Balliet claimed his violence was motivated by anger about Germany’s immigration policies’ alleged bias against ethnic Germans, which he blamed on Jews.
Unable to enter the synagogue on Yom Kippur, Balliet shot and killed two other people nearby. He live-streamed his attack online and had previously posted documents that called for murdering Jews. He confessed to the crimes, making clear his antisemitic motive.
During his trial, Balliet said that Jews “are my enemies” and denied the Holocaust, which is a crime in Germany.
While incarcerated in December 2022, Balliet took guards hostage with a homemade weapon, a fact he admitted during the trial. Other prison guards were able to recapture Balliet and prevent harm to the hostages.
