Passers-by apparently ignored the first victim of a terrorist attack in the German city of Halle last October, according to reports published in German media on Friday.

Surveillance video showed several people walking past the victim "calmly, almost indifferently," German broadcasters WDR, NDR and the Südeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported.

"In the middle of a major German city a person lies shot on the pavement, but people walk past," the paper wrote.

Read more: Germany synagogue attack: Who were the victims in Halle?

Around 50 people were present in a synagogue in the eastern German city of Halle on October 9 when a heavily armed gunman shot at the door and three explosive devices.

After failing to enter the synagogue, the attacker shot and killed a 40-year-old woman in the street and a 20-year-old man in a kebab shop. He also injured a couple while trying to flee, according to the DPA news agency.

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Cologne, 1959: Swastikas and hate speech In December 1959, two members of the Deutsche Reichspartei (DRP) right-wing extremist party painted swastikas and the words "Germans demand: Jews out" on the synagogue in Cologne. Anti-Semitic graffiti emerged across the country. The perpetrators were convicted, and the Bundestag passed a law against "incitement of the people," which remains on the books to this day.

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Lübeck, 1994: First arson attack on a temple in decades People across the world were horrified at the March 1994 attack on the synagogue in the northern city of Lübeck. For the first time in decades, a synagogue in Germany burned. Four right-wing extremists were eventually convicted of arson. The day after the fire, 4,000 locals took to the streets under the slogan "Lübeck holds its breath." In 1995, the same synagogue was hit by another arson attack.

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Essen, 2000: Stones hurled into Old Synagogue Armed with paving stones, more than 100 Palestinians from Lebanon attacked the Old Synagogue in Essen in October 2000. The incident occurred after a demonstration against "violence in the Middle East." A police officer was injured. Mahmud Alaeddin, deputy head of the general delegation of Palestine in Germany, distanced himself from the attack.

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Düsseldorf, 2000: Arson and stones A 19-year-old Palestinian and a 20-year-old Moroccan damaged Düsseldorf's New Synagogue with incendiary devices and rocks in October 2000 as "revenge" against Jews and the state of Israel. "We need the respectable people to rebel" against anti-Semitism, then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder demanded. The federal and state governments and various NGOs launched campaigns to counter extremism.

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Mainz, 2010: Molotov cocktail attack shortly after inauguration Shortly after being inaugurated in September 2010, an arson attack hit the New Synagogue in Mainz during the night of October 30. The spectacular Deconstructivist building by architect Manuel Herz was erected on the site of the former main synagogue that was set on fire during the Kristallnacht, the Nazis' national night of pogroms, in 1938.

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Wuppertal, 2014: Incendiary devices In July 2014, three young Palestinians hurled incendiary devices at the front door of the synagogue in Wuppertal. In a highly controversial decision, the court ruled there was "no evidence whatsoever" of anti-Semitic motives. Jews in Germany and the foreign media were outraged. The chairman of the Jewish Community Wuppertal declared the ruling as "an invitation to further crimes."

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Berlin, 2019: Knife-wielding attacker A man wielding a knife climbed over a barrier at Berlin's New Synagogue on the eve of Shabbat on October 4, 2019, during the holy period between the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Security personnel overwhelmed the attacker, whose motive remained unclear. Police released him afterwards, a decision Jewish leaders called "a failure" of justice.

Attacks on synagogues in Germany Halle, 2019: Shooter on Yom Kippur About 80 people were in the synagogue on Wednesday afternoon to observe Yom Kippur, the Jewish calendar's holiest day. The alleged attacker reportedly attempted to shoot his way into the synagogue but was prevented by a safety door. Two passersby were shot to death and two were injured. The suspect, who has a history of right-wing extremist, anti-Semitic, and misogynist rhetoric, was detained. Author: Bettina Baumann



What does the surveillance footage show?

The report casts a new light on the circumstances of the first victim's death.

A mailman delivering letters on the other side of the street continued delivering letters while the woman was dying, according to the report.

The woman continued to lie unaided in a pool of blood as several other passers-by walked along, until a man with a ponytail went to help her, apparently calling for an ambulance. No-one appeared to offer first aid.

Read more: Opinion: The anti-Semitism targeting us Jews isn’t 'back' — it never left

The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The supsected perpetrator has confessed to the attack and admitted anti-Semitic and racist motives.

Watch video 01:08 Share Recap: Halle synagogue attack Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3RXMk Germany: Remembering the victims of the Halle attack

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