After two Syrians were accused of stabbing a 28-year-old father to death in the German city of Pulheim, police have confirmed the victim was German national Sebastian H., who leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter, but also has a partner who is four months pregnant with what would have been his second child.
The incident occurred just before midnight in a parking lot at the city park in Pulheim, North Rhine-Westphalia. Five men engaged in a physical confrontation, but three individuals were reportedly armed with baseball bats and knives.
This encounter proved fatal for Sebastian H., who suffered multiple stab wounds and died at the scene. His 35-year-old companion was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. While the attackers were arrested, they have remained silent.
According to Bild newspaper sources, two brothers from Syria who were previously known to police are among the three suspects, ages 20, 24, and 28.
The trio is currently being investigated on suspicion of joint manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. Arrest warrants have been issued, and the men are in pre-trial detention.
Because the suspects have not commented, the exact motive for the confrontation on April 12, 2026, remains unclear. The Public Prosecutor’s Office received information that indicated the trio arrived at the parking lot armed specifically to meet the two victims. Reportedly, the sum the Syrians killed the man over was as small as €250.
“There was an immediate physical altercation in the parking lot. It may have been the dispute about outstanding financial claims,” said Cologne’s senior public prosecutor Ulrich Bremer upon request.
Following the stabbing, Basti H. managed to move through the park despite his critical injuries before collapsing on the lawn, where he died.
Bild reported that bloodstains are still present at the location, along with objects left by mourners, including photos, candles, and flowers for the murdered father.
Sebastian, known as “Basti,” leaves behind his young family. Christof Miseré, the lawyer representing the victim’s family, stated, “Relatives and friends are stunned. There is no justification for such acts.”
The murder came shortly before German federal police (BKA) released PKS statistics this week, highlighting a massive overrepresentation of foreigners in the crime data, including in knife attacks. Germany experienced nearly 30,000 knife-related crimes last year, 2025, equalling 80 per day.
Despite being only 15 percent of the population, foreigners are responsible for 41 percent of the violent crime in the country. Syrians, in particular, are 10 times more likely to be involved in violent crime than Germans.
Data released last year found that Syrians committed 135,000 crimes against Germans over a period of 10 years, equaling a crime against a German every 39 minutes for every single day.
