Murals commemorating the victims of the antisemitic attack in the German city of Halle have been daubed with red swastikas on the eve of its first anniversary. 

Street art painted across the city by activists to honour the two victims of the attack, along with the words “never forget”, were vandalised on Thursday evening, police said. 

An investigation into the daubings has been launched, according to German media reports. 

On Friday, several commemorations to mark the first anniversary since the attack took place, including a moment’s silence and the unveiling of a new memorial plaque in the synagogue’s courtyard. 

On 9 October last year, a lone wolf gunman attempted a mass shooting at the city’s synagogue during Yom Kippur. 

Unable to breach the building’s external door, the attacker proceeded to shoot a passer-by before driving to a nearby kebab shop, where he shot another person. The attack was livestreamed by the gunman. 

The trial of the 28-year-old suspect, Stephan Balliet, began in July. 

At a memorial ceremony at St Ulrich’s Church, Germany’s president Frank Walter-Steinmeier said: “A year ago today, a nightmare came true in Halle, in broad daylight, in the middle of Germany. In Germany of all places.”