The 36-year-old Lebanese man Omar K., who was killed during a police operation in Winterhude at the end of May, is said to be a convicted sex offender. This is reported by the “Bild” newspaper. K. allegedly tried to abuse a 23-year-old girl in Ellerbek (Pinneberg district) in November 2019. However, the Russian au pair resisted and bit off the tip of the little finger of the perpetrator’s right hand. This was later secured at the crime scene and Omar K. was convicted.
According to the daily Hamburger Abendblatt, the HIV-positive perpetrator was arrested on November 5, 2019, after an anonymous tip from the University Hospital of Hamburg (UKE), where he was being treated for the injury. There, he is said to have initially claimed to have severed the tip of his finger in a hand blender. A DNA analysis later revealed that the fingertip seized at the crime scene could be attributed to Omar K..
The man had been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment on appeal in October 2020. However, the Itzehoe Regional Court suspended the execution of the sentence in the second instance. He had previously confessed to the sexual motivation of the crime. He was convicted of aggravated sexual assault. The arrest warrant against the Lebanese man, which had been in place since November 6, 2019, was lifted after almost eleven months.
On May 28, Omar K. had threatened several passers-by and cyclists with a knife. He is said to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) while doing so. During the subsequent police operation, the 36-year-old had been killed with seven shots by a police officer after he had also attacked police officers with the knife. Before that, a special task force had tried to stop the man by other means, including the use of so-called tasers.
So far it is unclear what the 36-year-old’s motives were. In the course of the investigation, it is being examined whether he acted out of religious motivation or was in an exceptional psychological situation, according to the police. Omar K. is said to have had drug problems and had been living in refugee accommodation for the last few months.
According to the “Hamburger Morgenpost” (Mopo), which published an eyewitness video showing the police action on Tuesday, Omar K. is said to have been depressed, among other things because he was not allowed to see his daughter, and to have struggled with drug problems. The newspaper refers to statements made by acquaintances of the man. Omar K. is also said to have served time in prison for violating the right of residence.