The 45-year-old Turkish man accused of shooting dead six social services employees in Stade, Lower Saxony, last Monday had reportedly escaped from prison in Turkey, where he was facing charges including the sexual abuse of his daughter.

According to German newspaper BILD, the suspect in the deadly attack on social services employees and staff at a shelter for women and minors in Stade had escaped from a Turkish prison and was the subject of “multiple criminal proceedings” in Turkey.

The report states that, in addition to being suspected of a serious sexual offence in Kahramanmaraş in 2017, he was also accused of sexually abusing his daughter in Gaziantep in 2022. Between the two cases, the 45-year-old was taken into custody in connection with another criminal investigation, but escaped and had been wanted ever since. Until now, BILD reports, Turkish authorities did not know his whereabouts.

Five people were killed in a shooting on Monday at a youth welfare facility in the northern German town of #Stade. Two people were arrested, including the suspected shooter, police said. pic.twitter.com/TFILfcjZd5

— ShanghaiEye🚀official (@ShanghaiEye) June 29, 2026

According to the newspaper, prosecutors in Lower Saxony were unaware of the suspect’s criminal history in Turkey. He had not been known in Germany for violent offences, although complaints had reportedly been made about aggressive behaviour and threats towards doctors and police officers.

On Monday, the man had an appointment with a welfare services committee concerning custody of his eight-month-old daughter, whom he is alleged to have violently shaken.

The BILD report also states that the suspect had been married three times in Turkey and was divorced from the infant’s mother.

He has been remanded in custody, while German authorities are now cooperating with their Turkish counterparts.