The owner of an ice cream parlor in Hof, Bavaria, has spoken to Bild after he, his young daughter, and an employee were injured in a violent attack by three Syrian brothers who refused to pay a €15 bill.
Ahmad Farra, 42, runs the Eiscafé Levante with his family and has done so for five years. On Monday evening, chaos broke out at the establishment after the brothers, aged between 15 and 25, returned demanding free ice cream.
A week earlier, their card payment had failed, and they had promised to come back and pay the outstanding amount. “We agreed that they would come back and pay later,” Ahmad’s son Radwan, 17, told Bild.
Instead, they arrived “really aggressive” and, according to Radwan, “wanted to put on a show.” On the terrace, they confronted Ahmad and his 10-year-old daughter, Hanan. When asked if they had come to settle the debt, one of the men replied: “No, and we won’t pay either,” before demanding more free ice cream.
🇩🇪‼️ Syrian migrants at an ice cream parlor in Germany refused to pay their €15 bill and turned violent.
The incident happened on Monday in Hof. Three brothers, aged 15, 19, and 25, had been asked to settle their bill by the owner, and when they refused, he said he was calling… pic.twitter.com/R0Nsxjg2dF
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 3, 2025Ahmad, who is also from Syria and previously owned three parlors in his home country before arriving in Germany, then threatened to call the police, resulting in him being struck with a metal flagpole by the eldest brother, while the others overturned chairs and tables. Ahmad, Hanan, and a 24-year-old employee were injured.
“I tried to keep them away from my dad,” Hanan said. She was left with scratches and bruises. “I find it simply unmanly to attack a child,” Radwan added.
The brothers fled but were quickly tracked down. Witnesses said one of them may have had a knife. Police officers with weapons drawn forced two of them to the ground, while the 25-year-old resisted arrest, and was only subdued after pepper spray was used.
Three officers also suffered minor injuries.
Investigators are pursuing charges including grievous bodily harm, resistance to arrest, and assault on law enforcement officers.
Despite this, prosecutors ordered the release of the brothers, citing the men’s permanent residence in Helmbrechts and the absence of grounds such as risk of flight, obstruction of justice, or destruction of evidence. “As much as some might have wanted to take the men into custody, without a legal ground for detention, that is not possible,” Chief Inspector Patric Scheibel told Frankenpost.
Ahmad, however, suggested this was the wrong decision and insisted the trio still pose a threat to the community. “They’re dangerous,” he said.
