Rejected Asylum Seeker Sought in Fatal Attack on 70-Year-Old Woman in Hamburg

Hamburg killing of 70-year-old woman, suspect ordered to leave Germany, Digi Mart USA News (Hamburg, Germany): The suspect in the violent death of a 70-year-old woman in Hamburg should no longer have been in Germany, but he had gone into hiding, according to a spokesperson for the government of Upper Bavaria. The man was most recently housed in a shelter for refugees in the district of Altötting, the spokesperson said.

Authorities had received indications of a mental illness.

After a hospital stay, the 27-year-old did not return to his accommodation in August 2026. He subsequently went into hiding and was placed on a police wanted list for whereabouts investigation, the authority said.

The Hamburger Abendblatt first reported the case.

The Hamburg police said the state criminal investigation office had information about a mental illness in the 27-year-old man. Proceedings for suspected illegal residence are also reportedly underway in Hamburg.

According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the man’s asylum application was rejected as early as March 2025, and he was ordered to leave the country. He did not leave Germany voluntarily, and a deportation initially failed because authorities could not conclusively determine his nationality without valid papers.

According to the Upper Bavaria government, he had entered Germany illegally from Italy in autumn 2022 and was later fined for that offense.

In 2025 he was convicted again, the spokesperson said, receiving an eight-month suspended sentence for theft. Authorities said he could not be deported before the Hamburg attack because target states refused to admit him without papers.

Authorities initiated a procedure to obtain replacement documents through Gambian diplomatic missions based on his statements, but so far without success.

Last week, the body of the woman was found in an apartment in a multi-family building in Hamburg-Lokstedt. According to police, the 27-year-old had appeared at a nearby police station and reported an assault.

On the way to the crime scene, he reportedly told police that a dead person was lying in an apartment. According to current information, the victim and the suspect were acquainted.

Police did not provide further details about the investigation.