An Iraqi migrant was arrested on Monday after stabbing to death a 61-year-old operator of an asylum shelter in Sarstedt.
Police stated that the asylum seeker allegedly got into an argument with the victim, who owns a hotel that has been converted into a refugee shelter. At some point, the Iraqi man “stabbed him,” according to police.
Following the crime, which occurred around noon, the Iraqi man fled. The victim, who was from Hannover, died shortly thereafter from his wounds.
Around nine hours later, the perpetrator was apprehended and arrested by special police forces.
Police discovered a knife near the scene of the crime, which police are examining to determine if it was the murder weapon.
“The 35-year-old is currently in police custody. The public prosecutor’s office has applied to the court for pre-trial detention,” the authorities announced.
The police ruled out any terrorist motive on Monday.
The prosecuting authorities were able to track down the man on the basis of witness statements and the analysis of a surveillance camera, among other things.
As Remix News has reported in the past, working at an asylum shelter in Europe can be a dangerous business. Last year, an Iraqi migrant poured boiling oil over two employees at an asylum shelter, scarring the women for life.
“She has not been able to work, she is incapacitated. She worked there with heart and soul and is now scarred for life,” said Nino Pennino, a personal injury attorney for one of the victims, months after the attack.
Also, last year, a 23-year-old Tunisian was arrested for stabbing a 20-year-old employee at an asylum center in the eastern German port city of Rostock.
In 2022, an immigration office in the western German city of Wuppertal was closed after an employee was stabbed several times by a 20-year-old Syrian national.
According to the Bild newspaper, the assailant stormed into the “House of Integration” building shortly before 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, “jumped over the reception desk in the entrance area, and suddenly stabbed the woman,” at random.
In 2021, the head of an asylum center was murdered in the French city of Pau by a Sudanese asylum seeker.
Back in 2016, the “young, beautiful and, above all, kind” Alexandra Mezher was murdered by asylum seekers in Sweden while she was working at an accommodation center for unaccompanied minors.
This is just a small sample of the many incidents people working in asylum centers in Europe face, with attacks and violence happening on a daily basis, often between migrants residing at these locations, but also often targeting staff and security.
