MAINZ, Germany – Two brothers of Kurdish origin were reported to have shot dead a man and badly wounded their own mother in a family drama in the German city of Duisburg.
Although the shooting occurred on Sunday, details of the incident remain sketchy.
“For (more information) we need to interrogate the two suspects, but it is obviously connected to family affairs,” police spokesperson Ramon van der Maat was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
The identity of the dead man – identified only as Tevrat Y. -- was not immediately known. However, the two suspects appear to be the sons of the wounded female victim, who is originally a Kurd from Turkey.
Police have launched a manhunt with about 20 squad cars and a helicopter, searching several homes.
There was speculation that the dead man was the lover of the wounded woman, and that her sons had shot him in a so-called “honor” crime.
Van der Maat told the media that an international warrant could be issued for the suspects, who may have fled the country.
The 42-year-old female victim is a Kurd from Elih, the Kurdish name for the city of Batman in Turkey’s Kurdish southeast. One of her daughters is reportedly a fighter with Kurdish forces in Syria.
The condition of the mother was declared stable, following an urgent operation.
Media reports said that at lunchtime on Sunday a neighbor had heard fighting and gunshots and called the police.
With an estimated 800,000 Kurds, Germany hosts the largest community of Kurdish immigrants in Europe. So-called honor crimes are occasionally reported among Germany’s conservative Muslim community, where victims are usually women.
