The suspected Nuremberg shooter Mert Akin (photo) had registered as a Ukrainian refugee only a few months before his crime. On the day of the crime, the foreigners authority refused him a residence permit.
More than two weeks after the fatal shooting in Nuremberg’s Landgrabenstraße, the suspected perpetrator, Mert Akin, has still not been caught by the police – he is still on the run. In the meantime, a surveillance video has surfaced and the investigating authorities are looking for witnesses who can be seen on the footage. Meanwhile, more and more background information on the suspect and the crime, which was committed in the street on the evening of October 24, 2022, is becoming known.
Among other things, it is now clear how Akin, who posed holding a gun on his Instagram profile, came to Germany in the first place – namely as an alleged refugee from Ukraine. “The person concerned is a Turkish citizen. According to his own information, he had previously stayed in Ukraine,” a spokesperson for the city of Nuremberg explained when asked by inFranken.de.
In principle, “people who come to Germany because of the war in Ukraine are first registered in the reception centres”, the statement continues. In Akin’s case, this was the initial reception centre in Zirndorf. As the city confirms, the suspected shooter had registered there at the beginning of July – with the aim of getting a residence permit.
According to the administration, Akin then lived in Nuremberg. “Therefore, the foreigners authority of the city of Nuremberg was responsible. The person concerned was registered in Nuremberg. Such a stay is legal until the authorities have made a decision,” said the spokesperson. Due to the registration as a person who had entered the country from Ukraine, it was not an asylum procedure.
Media reports from Turkey at least confirm that Akin had previously been in Ukraine. Various references to the country can also be found on his Instagram profile, such as his name in Cyrillic script, hearts in Ukrainian colours and the hashtag #ukraineodessa.
Another detail that is likely to play an important role in the current investigations is a decision by the Nuremberg Foreigners Authority dated October 24, 2022 – the day of the horrific crime. According to the spokesperson, after Akin’s registration, the authority “made the decision regarding a residence permit”.
The decision was negative “due to a lack of requirements” and “was issued on October 24, 2022”, the report continues. As a consequence, Akin was ordered to leave Germany by November 24, 2022, as the city of Nuremberg confirms. “In the case of negative decisions regarding a residence permit, there is always a request to leave the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany within a set period of time, and there is always a threat of deportation in the case of non-compliance,” the spokesperson said.