Mother of five killed in front of job center – suspect had to leave the country

A 36-year-old who is said to have fatally injured his wife in front of the Düren job center should not have been in Germany at all. The man is said to be Ferhat A., who had previously been deported to Croatia, reports the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”. According to a report by Radio Euskirchen, the suspect and the opera have Turkish nationality.

According to the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”, the suspect was only returned to Croatia, the EU’s first destination country, in March 2026 by the Cologne Central Immigration Office in accordance with the Dublin Agreement. Two months later, however, he reappeared in North Rhine-Westphalia despite a ban on re-entry and a wanted entry.

It is unclear why he was not immediately deported again.

It was not until the end of September 2026 that the responsible Central Immigration Office in Unna issued a new notification about the obligation to leave the country, and the deportation order followed on October 15th, it is said. A lawsuit filed by the man, however, had no suspensive effect.

According to media information, preparations for a deportation flight to Zagreb had been underway since November 5th, but were delayed due to delays in coordination with the Croatian authorities.

The man was no stranger to the police. Proceedings for bodily harm and threatening his wife had been pending against the 36-year-old since December 2025. The 35-year-old mother of five children between the ages of four and 16 then moved to other accommodation with her children.

Despite a ban on contact, the man visited her there several times, which is why the police took protective measures. There is said to have been a reconciliation at some point, but as the situation progressed, threats against the woman arose again.

Husband picked up wife at the job center

In the late afternoon of November 9th, the 36-year-old is said to have checked on his estranged wife in front of the job center in Düren. During an argument he is said to have stabbed her with a knife. The 35-year-old died from her serious injuries on the same day, as a spokeswoman for the Aachen public prosecutor announced.

The suspect fled the scene on foot. However, he was able to be located with the help of a cell phone tracking device. After being contacted by a relative, he turned himself in to the police. The emergency services recovered the suspected murder weapon at the crime scene.

The 36-year-old is in custody on suspicion of murder. The five children were placed in the care of the youth welfare office and are now being looked after by one of the victim's brothers. The public prosecutor's office did not provide any further information about the murder weapon or the motive for the crime, citing the ongoing investigation.