Six dead in attack on child protection facility in Stade – Custody dispute suspected as motive
Six staff members at a child welfare facility in Stade, Lower Saxony, were shot dead by a 45-year-old Turkish citizen. The dispute over custody of his infant daughter is believed to be the motive.
Attack in Stade: six staff members killed, custody dispute over infant at centre of investigation
A custody dispute over a three-month-old infant is believed to have been the motive behind an armed attack on a child care facility in Stade, Lower Saxony, which claimed the lives of six employees. At least three others were injured, some of whom are hospitalised in serious condition. Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated he was "deeply shocked".
According to ERT, Katrin Svol, the head of Lüneburg police, reported that the arrested perpetrator is a 45-year-old Turkish citizen born in Germany. The man had a scheduled appointment at the facility at the time of the attack, concerning custody of his daughter.
Sources from public broadcasters NDR and WDR report that the father had been characterised as a person with behavioural problems and his infant daughter had been removed from the family. The child was initially placed in a care facility in Stade, with the possibility of returning to her mother, but not to the family home in Hanover. During the attack, neither the mother nor the child were injured. The 34-year-old mother is in custody and is being questioned.
Svol described the scene that officers encountered upon arrival following simultaneous emergency calls as "horrific". Four people were already dead at the scene. A fifth victim died despite resuscitation efforts, whilst the sixth died later at the hospital. Among the dead – four women and two men – were employees of both the care facility and the social welfare office. The police chief did not rule out the possibility of further fatalities.
The perpetrator attempted to flee by car driven by a 65-year-old woman, who according to Svol was connected "by a very close relationship with the family of the arrested man". Police quickly immobilised the vehicle and arrested both occupants on the spot, who are being questioned. An arrest warrant has not yet been issued against the 45-year-old. He is believed to be a member of a large family crime syndicate based in Hanover.
In a post on X, Chancellor Merz wrote: "The news from Stade is deeply shocking. Many people who wanted to help and protect others in need have lost their lives or been injured." He also thanked police officers "for their swift action". The infant is now being cared for at the social welfare office.
Source: ERT