Turkish Man Kills Six at Welfare Center, Had Sex Crime Past

The suspect, identified as Fatih Khan G. from Garbsen near Hanover, opened fire on June 29 during a scheduled appointment concerning a custody dispute over his three-month-old daughter at the youth welfare centre, as Brussels Signal reports.

All six victims—four women and two men—were staff members at the facility. Three were employed at the welfare centre itself and three worked for the Hanover youth welfare office, known in Germany as the Jugendamt. The infant and her mother survived the attack unharmed.

Authorities arrested the suspect shortly after the shooting along with a female companion who allegedly drove the getaway vehicle.

Turkish Criminal Record and Escape from Detention

Investigations by German newspaper Bild uncovered that authorities had previously examined the suspect in connection with possible child mistreatment, including allegations of shaken baby syndrome involving his infant daughter.

According to Brussels Signal, he also faced investigations for sexual offences. Turkish judicial records indicate that in 2021 he escaped from pre-trial detention in Turkey for another offence and has been wanted there since.

Excerpts from Turkey’s National Judiciary Informatics System document proceedings linking him to alleged sexual abuse in 2007 and suspicion of sexual abuse of his daughter from a previous relationship in 2022. The alleged abuse of the daughter reportedly occurred on June 9, 2022 in Gaziantep, with the case heard at the second criminal court in Kahramanmaraş.

The Stade public prosecutor’s office stated it had no knowledge of possible crimes committed by the accused in Turkey. Information exchange between German and Turkish investigative authorities is considered difficult, German media outlet Welt reported.

The prosecutor’s office declined to comment on further questions and referred to ongoing investigations.

Connection to State Migration Official

The female companion, identified as 65-year-old Sylvia S. from Bremen, worked as a family and migration counsellor for a state-funded pro-migration NGO.

She reportedly drove the suspect both to the custody meeting and away from the scene after the attack in a grey Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé. Police stopped the vehicle after a short pursuit by shooting out its tyres. Neither occupant was injured during the stop.

The 45-year-old suspect reportedly purchased the pistol in Berlin for approximately €4,000 and did not hold a firearms licence.

Sylvia S. is the mother-in-law of Lower Saxony Social Democratic Party state parliamentarian Deniz Kurku, who serves as the Lower Saxony State Commissioner for Migration and Participation, a post he has held since 2022.

Kurku publicly confirmed the family connection through his lawyer, stating he informed investigators and professional contacts as soon as he learned of it from media reports. He expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said he had no prior knowledge of the crime.

SPD parliamentary group chairman Stefan Politze said the parliamentary group stands clearly and unreservedly at the side of Kurku, describing him as a reliable and honest member of parliament who has been committed to his work for years. Politze stressed that Kurku had no connection to the crime and that no political or personal responsibility arose from the actions of a relative.

Link to Subsidy Fraud Investigation

On March 11, 2025, Kurku wrote a formal recommendation letter strongly supporting an application by the association Integrationsarbeit Kronsberg e.V. for funding of an additional staff position.

The association, which has received around €1.2 million in public funding, filed for insolvency in spring 2026 and is at the centre of a subsidy-fraud inquiry.

Both the suspect and Sylvia S. were taken into custody after the attack and arrest warrants were issued.

With information from Brussels Signal