Bosphorus serial murders
Encyclopedia
The Bosphorus serial murders also known as Döner murders, the term often used by the media, were a series of murders that took place in Germany
between 2000 and 2006, leaving ten people dead and one wounded. The perpetrators called themselves National Socialist Underground
(NSU) (German: Nationalsozialistischer Untergrund). The primary target of these right-wing extremist-oriented crimes were predominantly immigrants of Turkish origin and one person of Greek
origin.
The victims were mostly small business owners (doner kebab
vendors, grocers, locksmiths, alteration tailors, internet café
) who were murdered in broad daylight by being shot in the face with a CZ 83. According to the parents of the Turkish victim who worked in an internet café, the police originally suspected foreign organised criminals. Furthermore, a German policewoman, Michéle Kiesewetter
, was shot as well and her duty-partner was critically wounded. Other crimes, in particular a bomb attack
, have allegedly been committed by the group. The murderers, according to the acting Attorney General of Germany
, Rainer Greisbaum., have Neo-Nazi
links. The German authorities identified three suspects, Uwe Böhnhardt, Uwe Mundlos, and Beate Zschäpe as responsible for the murders and attempted murders. Böhnhardt and Mundlos were found dead by police after they robbed a bank on 4 November 2011. Police say they committed suicide . Zschäpe turned herself in on 11 November 2011. She will probably face charges of murder, attempted murder, arson, and belonging to a terrorist organization. Zschäpe is only willing to testify if she is considered a state witness, with mitigation of sentence. The police had discovered a name list of 88 people later, that included "two prominent members of the Bundestag and representatives of Turkish and Islamic groups".
for a big company in Nuremberg, had been helping out in a tailor's shop. His death was discovered when a passer-by noticed through the shop window the lifeless body of Özüdoğru, sitting in the back of the shop, covered in blood.
, Yunus Turgut opened up a doner kebab shop in Rostock
-Toitenwinkel. Turgut, who had been living illegally in Hamburg, was in Rostock on a visit and had been asked by an acquaintance to open up the shop that day. Between 10:10 and 10:20 Turgut was shot three times with a silenced CZ 83. Being hit in the head and neck he died instantaneously. Because of his link to Hamburg, Rostock police made the connection to the third victim, Süleyman Taşköprü, thus establishing the term doner murders,
, Turkey to Nuremberg, owned a kebab shop in Scharrerstrasse. He was found dead around 10:15 with five gunshot wounds. Police believed he had been shot and killed between 9:50 and 10:05 based on witness' statements.
vendor from Dortmund, was found dead in the early afternoon of 4 April 2006 in his shop. Kubaşık, who was a German citizen of Turkish origin, was shot in the head like most of the other victims.
's death while parking in Heilbronn on 25 April 2007 is considered by some to be linked to the Bosphorus murder series. This is mainly due to the fact that the duty-pistols of Kiesewetter and her partner were found on 4 November 2011 at the caravan where Böhnhardt and Mundlos died. Kiesewetter, who was a police officer, was killed, when she and her duty-partner were attacked during lunch break. Her partner was critically wounded, but survived with no memory of the attack. While in the other cases the motive is assumed to be xenophobia and/or racism it is unclear why Kiesewetter and her partner were attacked. Theories about the murder include a variety of motives such as a personal link between Kiesewetter, who came from Thuringia as the alleged perpetrators, or the acquisition of firearms.
Angela Merkel
stated that "the cold-blooded murders of nine immigrant shopkeepers by neo-Nazis is an “inconceivable” crime for Germany and a national disgrace."
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
between 2000 and 2006, leaving ten people dead and one wounded. The perpetrators called themselves National Socialist Underground
National Socialist Underground
National Socialist Underground or NSU, is a far-right German terror group which was uncovered in November 2011. The Bosphorus serial murders, a murder series of nine Turkish and Greek immigrants between 9 September 2000 and 6 April 2006, the murder of a policewoman and the 2004 Cologne bombing...
(NSU) (German: Nationalsozialistischer Untergrund). The primary target of these right-wing extremist-oriented crimes were predominantly immigrants of Turkish origin and one person of Greek
Greeks in Germany
The Greeks in Germany form a significant community with a population of 294,891 people according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, on December 31, 2007.-History:The first Greeks came during the time of the Roman Empire to Central Europe....
origin.
The victims were mostly small business owners (doner kebab
Doner kebab
Doner kebab is a dish made of roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit. It is also known regionally as gyro , shawarma, and al pastor . It consists of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats roasted on a spit. Less common alternatives include fish and sausage...
vendors, grocers, locksmiths, alteration tailors, internet café
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
) who were murdered in broad daylight by being shot in the face with a CZ 83. According to the parents of the Turkish victim who worked in an internet café, the police originally suspected foreign organised criminals. Furthermore, a German policewoman, Michéle Kiesewetter
Michéle Kiesewetter
Michéle Kiesewetter , a German police officer, was killed by neo-nazi terrorists on 25 April 2007 in Heilbronn, Germany. Her colleague was shot in the head and seriously wounded in the same incident...
, was shot as well and her duty-partner was critically wounded. Other crimes, in particular a bomb attack
2004 Cologne bombing
On 9 June 2004 a pipe bomb detonated in Cologne, Germany, in a business area popular with immigrants from Turkey. 22 people were wounded, four sustained serious injuries. A barber's shop was completely destroyed, many shops and numerous parked cars were seriously damaged by the explosion and the...
, have allegedly been committed by the group. The murderers, according to the acting Attorney General of Germany
Attorney General of Germany
The Attorney General of Germany is the federal prosecutor of Germany, representing the federal government at the Bundesgerichtshof, the federal court of justice. The office of the Attorney General is located in Karlsruhe. Besides its role in appellate cases, the Attorney General has primary...
, Rainer Greisbaum., have Neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
links. The German authorities identified three suspects, Uwe Böhnhardt, Uwe Mundlos, and Beate Zschäpe as responsible for the murders and attempted murders. Böhnhardt and Mundlos were found dead by police after they robbed a bank on 4 November 2011. Police say they committed suicide . Zschäpe turned herself in on 11 November 2011. She will probably face charges of murder, attempted murder, arson, and belonging to a terrorist organization. Zschäpe is only willing to testify if she is considered a state witness, with mitigation of sentence. The police had discovered a name list of 88 people later, that included "two prominent members of the Bundestag and representatives of Turkish and Islamic groups".
Crimes involved
Murder of Enver Şimşek
Enver Şimşek, a business man with Turkish roots, was shot in the face next to his flower stall in Nuremberg, Germany, in the afternoon of 9 September 2000 by two gun-men. Two days later Şimşek, aged 38, died from his wounds in hospital, making him the first victim in the series. One of the guns used to kill Şimşek was to used in nine more murders. Şimşek's business comprised several flower stalls in southern Germany. When his employee running the stall in Nuremberg went on holidays, Şimşek himself stepped in for him.Murder of Abdurrahim Özüdoğru
On 13 June 2001, Abdurrahim Özüdoğru was killed by two shots in the head with the same weapon already used in the murder of Enver Şimşek. Özüdoğru, who worked as a machinistMachinist
A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
for a big company in Nuremberg, had been helping out in a tailor's shop. His death was discovered when a passer-by noticed through the shop window the lifeless body of Özüdoğru, sitting in the back of the shop, covered in blood.
Murder of Süleyman Taşköprü
Two weeks after the second murder, Süleyman Taşköprü, aged 31, died in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld after being shot in the head three times in his green grocer's shop. The murder happened some time between 10:45 and 11:15 a.m on 27 June 2001. The same guns as in the first case were used, a CZ 83 and a 6.35 mm gun.Murder of Habil Kılıç
On 29 August 2001 Habil Kılıç became the fourth victim. His death was the first of two murders in Munich. Kılıç, aged 38, who was married and had a daughter, was shot at point-blank range in his green grocer's shop in the Westend of the city.Murder of Yunus Turgut
Two and a half years later, on the morning of 25 February 2004, Ash WednesdayAsh Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, Yunus Turgut opened up a doner kebab shop in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
-Toitenwinkel. Turgut, who had been living illegally in Hamburg, was in Rostock on a visit and had been asked by an acquaintance to open up the shop that day. Between 10:10 and 10:20 Turgut was shot three times with a silenced CZ 83. Being hit in the head and neck he died instantaneously. Because of his link to Hamburg, Rostock police made the connection to the third victim, Süleyman Taşköprü, thus establishing the term doner murders,
Murder of İsmail Yaşar
On 5 June 2005 the murderers struck again for the third time in Nuremberg. İsmail Yaşar, aged 50, had come from SurucSuruç
Suruç is a rural district of Şanlıurfa Province of Turkey, on a plain near the Syrian border 46 km south-west of the city of Şanlıurfa.The modern Turkish name “Suruç” is derived from Serugh , the pre-Islamic name for the area. The name literally means “woven” or “latticed,” and either refers...
, Turkey to Nuremberg, owned a kebab shop in Scharrerstrasse. He was found dead around 10:15 with five gunshot wounds. Police believed he had been shot and killed between 9:50 and 10:05 based on witness' statements.
Murder of Theodoros Boulgarides
Theodoros Boulgarides was the second murder victim in Munich and the first non-Turk to die. Boulgarides, a locksmith, was killed on 15 June 2005 sometime between 18:15 and 19:00 in his shop in the vicinity of the location of the other murder in Munich. Boulgarides left a wife and two daughters.Murder of Mehmet Kubaşık
Mehmet Kubaşık, a kioskKiosk
Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
vendor from Dortmund, was found dead in the early afternoon of 4 April 2006 in his shop. Kubaşık, who was a German citizen of Turkish origin, was shot in the head like most of the other victims.
Murder of Halit Yozgat
Halit Yozgat was the last victim of the murder series. His death, only two days after Kubaşık's is the most mysterious. Yozgat, who ran an internet café in Kassel, Hesse, was shot in the head with a silenced gun, too. Only this time, an agent of the Hessian Office for the Protection of the Constitution was present. The agent claimed first to have left the premises shortly before the murder, but later changed his statement when presented with new evidence. Witnesses reported to have seen him on the scene when the murder happened. His involvement with the case gave rise to suspicions that government agencies might be somehow linked to the organisation responsible for the murders.Murder of Michéle Kiesewetter
Michéle KiesewetterMichéle Kiesewetter
Michéle Kiesewetter , a German police officer, was killed by neo-nazi terrorists on 25 April 2007 in Heilbronn, Germany. Her colleague was shot in the head and seriously wounded in the same incident...
's death while parking in Heilbronn on 25 April 2007 is considered by some to be linked to the Bosphorus murder series. This is mainly due to the fact that the duty-pistols of Kiesewetter and her partner were found on 4 November 2011 at the caravan where Böhnhardt and Mundlos died. Kiesewetter, who was a police officer, was killed, when she and her duty-partner were attacked during lunch break. Her partner was critically wounded, but survived with no memory of the attack. While in the other cases the motive is assumed to be xenophobia and/or racism it is unclear why Kiesewetter and her partner were attacked. Theories about the murder include a variety of motives such as a personal link between Kiesewetter, who came from Thuringia as the alleged perpetrators, or the acquisition of firearms.
Reactions
German ChancellorChancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
stated that "the cold-blooded murders of nine immigrant shopkeepers by neo-Nazis is an “inconceivable” crime for Germany and a national disgrace."
List of victims
| Name | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Enver Şimşek | Nuremberg | 9 September 2000 |
| Abdurrahim Özüdoğru | Nuremberg | 13 June 2001 |
| Süleyman Taşköprü | Hamburg | 27 June 2001 |
| Habil Kılıç | Munich | 29 August 2001 |
| Yunus Turgut | Rostock | 25 February 2004 |
| İsmail Yaşar | Nuremberg | 5 June 2005 |
| Theodoros Boulgarides | Munich | 15 June 2005 |
| Mehmet Kubaşık | Dortmund | 4 April 2006 |
| Halit Yozgat | Kassel | 6 April 2006 |
| Michèle Kiesewetter | Heilbronn | 25 April 2007 |
See also
- Michéle KiesewetterMichéle KiesewetterMichéle Kiesewetter , a German police officer, was killed by neo-nazi terrorists on 25 April 2007 in Heilbronn, Germany. Her colleague was shot in the head and seriously wounded in the same incident...
- Phantom of Heilbronn Phantom of HeilbronnThe Phantom of Heilbronn, often alternatively referred to as the "Woman Without a Face", was a hypothesized unknown female serial killer whose existence was inferred from DNA evidence found at numerous crime scenes in Austria, France and Germany from 1993 to 2009...
- 2004 Cologne bombing2004 Cologne bombingOn 9 June 2004 a pipe bomb detonated in Cologne, Germany, in a business area popular with immigrants from Turkey. 22 people were wounded, four sustained serious injuries. A barber's shop was completely destroyed, many shops and numerous parked cars were seriously damaged by the explosion and the...