German suspect in deadly Halle synagogue attack blames refugees

Stephan Balliet is accused of shooting dead two people after failing to storm a synagogue

A German neo-Nazi who has gone on trial for a deadly antisemitic shooting at a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle nine months ago has claimed he plotted the attack because of refugees coming into Europe.

Stephan Balliet, 28, was brought by helicopter to the court and his hands and feet were shackled as he appeared in the dock. He said he had felt superseded" by the hundreds of thousands of refugees who entered Germany in the summer and autumn of 2015.