UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Wednesday's attack on a synagogue in the eastern German city of Halle on the holy day of Yom Kippur.
The secretary-general regarded this as another tragic demonstration of anti-Semitism -- perpetrated on the holy day of Yom Kippur -- which needs to be fought with the utmost determination, said Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman, in a statement.
Gunmen reportedly targeted a synagogue and a kebab shop in Halle on Yom Kippur, killing at least two people. One man was arrested.
Guterres extended his condolences to the families of the victims, and the government and people of Germany, and his wishes for a swift recovery to those who were wounded in the attack, said the statement.
In this context, the secretary-general recalled the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites and called for all governments to support that plan. Houses of worship around the world must be safe havens for reflection and peace, not sites of bloodshed and terror, it said.
