Halle shooter appears in German Federal Court after release from hospital

The shooting was livestreamed online for 35 minutes before it was flagged and removed

The suspected gunman of a deadly Yom Kippur shooting attack on a German synagogue in the city of Halle attended a hearing before federal judges in the city Karlsruhe on Thursday. 

Stephan Balliet was escorted to the proceeding by German police upon his release from the hospital  following a shootout with authorities on Wednesday. Federal prosecutors charged Balliet with two counts murder and nine counts of attempted murder.

Earlier Thursday, Germany's Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht accused the 27-year-old of being a "far-right terrorist" who planned a "massacre" against Jewish congregants. 

The suspected attack occurred during Yom Kippur, considered the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, with Balliet filming and broadcasting the assault live to the Internet. 

Police said the perpetrator had been caught after initially fleeing the scene as authorities ramped up security at synagogues and other Jewish sites across Germany. 

It is understood that a woman was gunned down in front of the synagogue while another man was killed in a Turkish restaurant about 600 meters away from the synagogue.

Two people also suffered serious bullet wounds in the attack but are no longer in life-threatening condition, according to a city hospital spokesperson. 

The online platform Twitch said the graphic shooting was streamed live for 35 minutes on the site and eventually seen by some 2,000 people before it was flagged and removed. 

In the attack video, the gunman can be seen trying to force open the door to the synagogue where some 70 to 80 people were gathered on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. 

After failing to gain access, the gunman shoots a woman in front of the synagogue before then trying to blast open a gate of the Jewish cemetery with a hand grenade.

“Based on current information, we have to assume that it was at least an anti-semitic attack,” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said. “According to the federal prosecutors’ office, there are enough indications that it was possibly a right-wing extremist motive. They have taken over the investigations.”

Germany has been on high alert following several attacks in recent years, including neo-Nazi plots.

"It is terrible news from Halle and I hope very much that the police will manage to catch the perpetrator or perpetrators as quickly as possible," Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said.