Far-right murderer takes 2 prison guards hostage in Germany
German security officials say a convicted far-right murderer temporarily took two prison guards hostage during an attempted jailbreak before he was overwhelmed by other guards
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A convicted far-right murderer temporarily took two prison guards hostage in eastern Germany during an attempted jailbreak before he was overwhelmed by other guards.
The hostage taker, who was convicted to life in prison for fatally shooting two people after he tried to storm a synagogue in the eastern German city of Halle in 2019, took two guards hostage at the Berg high-security prison near the city of Magdeburg in eastern Germany on Monday night.
In under an hour, eight others guards freed their colleagues and overwhelmed the attacker, 30-year-old Stephan Balliet, who was injured during the incident. The two hostages were not injured.
State security officials in Saxony-Anhalt, where the prison is located, said the prisoner used a “device" to force the two prison guards to take him out of his cell. They refused to describe the object due to the ongoing investigation.
Based on what the prisoner can be heard saying on surveillance footage, the officials said they assume Balliet was trying to escape from the prison.
In 2020, while he was still on trial, Balliet tried to escape from another prison. He climbed over a 3.40-meter-tall (11-feet-tall) fence during a yard exercise and spent five minutes looking for ways out of the prison complex before guards caught him, German news agency dpa reported.
After Monday's incident, Balliet was placed in a special security room where he is under constant surveillance, and he may soon be transferred to another high-security prison, said Franziska Wiedinger, Saxony-Anhalt's state minister for justice.
Balliet attacked the synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, in 2019. He was armed with multiple firearms and explosives. When he didn't succeed in entering the building, he killed a passer-by and a man inside a nearby kebab store.
The attack was one of the most violent and overtly antisemitic acts in postwar German history. Balliet was sentenced to life in prison in 2020.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.