German Far-Right Extremist Convicted in Jailbreak Attempt

Stephan Balliet, already serving a life sentence for a 2019 synagogue attack, receives an additional seven years for hostage-taking.

Stephan Balliet, a German far-right extremist already serving a life sentence for a failed synagogue attack in 2019, was convicted of hostage-taking during a jailbreak attempt.
Balliet was sentenced to an additional seven years in prison and ordered to pay compensation to the prison employees he took hostage.
The attack on the synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, resulted in the deaths of two people.
During the jailbreak attempt, Balliet used a homemade weapon to take prison officers hostage, but was quickly subdued by other guards.
The court described Balliet as a seriously psychologically disturbed individual but deemed him fit to stand trial.