Following a manhunt by German police that lasted for months, the suspect in the fatal stabbing of 41-year-old restaurant owner Mortsa S. has been apprehended in Turkey. Hamburg police discovered that the suspect, Thamer Hassan Ali B., is a Turkish national and had been residing there under a false identity.
The suspect is currently detained and set for deportation, but he has lodged an objection against deportation proceedings.
The Turkish judicial system must now determine if the alleged killer will be transferred to the authorities in Hamburg. The man was found after Hamburg police successfully tracked down his location in Turkey.
The victim, Mortsa S., ran the Persian restaurant “Sepideh“ on Hammer Straße, a name meaning “dawn.”
In February 2026, the victim was stabbed following a dispute that took place behind the establishment. The two had reportedly long been in conflict before the fatal attack, according to Bild newspaper.
Even though Mortsa S. was mortally wounded, the 41-year-old managed to pull himself back inside his restaurant. His workers then rushed him in a Mercedes-Maybach to the Asklepios Clinic in Wandsbek, but medical professionals were unable to save his life.
Mortsa S. left behind two young children, a son and a daughter.
Months prior to the incident, Thamer Hassan Ali B. had behaved poorly inside the restaurant and was banned from entering the property. In the wake of the ban, the relatives were reportedly terrorized with threatening phone calls.
On the exact day of the crime, the suspect returned to the premises once more and told the victim, “I want to talk.“
When they went behind the restaurant, the stabbing attack reportedly occurred.
