A 45-year-old Turkish-origin father killed six people in a shooting at a youth center in Stade, a town in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. The attack was triggered after he was denied custody of his 3-month-old daughter.
Lüneburg Police Commissioner Kathrin Schuol stated that the suspect is a German-born man of Turkish origin residing in Hanover. Schuol said the attack was motivated by the perpetrator's failure to obtain custody of his daughter.
It was learned that the suspect had met with youth center officials several times to seek custody but had been unsuccessful. On the day of the attack, the father was again given a negative response, leading to an argument with the staff. The suspect then opened fire on the youth center employees.
In the attack, five people died at the scene, and one person died at a hospital. All victims were identified as youth center employees. It was reported that three people were taken into custody after the arrest of the suspect, who had a prior police record for some offenses.