Long long before causing a fatal incident in Hamburg, the 25-year-old South Sudanese suspect, Ariop A., had repeatedly come to the attention of German authorities. Since mid-2025, he had been involved in multiple disturbances, including fights, property damage, and assaults in refugee accommodations.
On January 5th, 2026, he reportedly kicked open the door of a roommate’s room in his refugee shelter, assaulted the roommate, and damaged a plastic chair. Ten days later, another altercation occurred in the accommodation, resulting in mutual bodily harm.
On January 27th, he rioted in a brothel on the Reeperbahn, attacking an employee, and striking a police officer who arrived at the scene. Despite these serious incidents, Ariop A. was never convicted, and some cases were discontinued without charge.
Authorities noted that he had been expelled from previous accommodation multiple times due to repeated violations of house rules, including nighttime disturbances.
Born in 2001 in South Sudan, Ariop A. was a full orphan selected for Germany under a UNHCR humanitarian admission program who arrived in June 2024 by charter flight. German authorities had already been aware of his repeated misbehavior, yet questions remain about why more preventive measures were not taken.
On January 29th, Arop A. killed an 18-year-old woman in a fatal subway attack in Hamburg, after seizing her and pulling her with him into the track bed in front of an incoming train. The incident occurred around 10 p.m. at Wandsbek Markt subway station. According to police, the victim and the perpetrator were independently present on the platform and did not appear to know each other.
