The suspect in the attack on a German synagogue in Halle, Germany, on Yom Kippur armed himself with close to nine pounds of explosives, Molotov cocktails, and several weapons in his quest to massacre Jews, but both of his victims appear to have been non-Jews. According to Stern, they were Jana Lange, 40, a music lover, and fan Kevin S, 20, a decorator.
According to Stern, Jana Lange was killed when she reprimanded the shooter outside the synagogue, asking him: “Is that really necessary while I’m walking past here?”
Kevin S was working at a building site near the kebab shop where he was shot dead.
Lange was described by local media as “warm and funny.” She was on disability for medical reasons and spent her time listening to music and collecting autographs.
Kevin’s father left a concerned message on his Facebook page after his son had already been killed, saying: “All we know is that you were close to the construction site and lost your phone. Kevin, we love you over everything else.”
The attacker, a German national named Stephan Balliet, 27, failed to force his way into the synagogue where some 80 Jews attended Yom Kippur services. He is in custody.