Eight men accused of planning and carrying out the public execution of a 27-year-old man have appeared before the court in Frankfurt am Main. The tragic incident occurred in August 2024 on the platform of the city's main railway station. Investigators indicate the crime was motivated by a multi-generational blood feud between Turkish families, and the victim was located thanks to his activity on social media, where he conducted live streams.
Brutal execution on the platform
The murder occurred in August 2024 at the main station in Frankfurt, where the victim was shot in the back of the head.
Motive of blood feud
Investigators point to a clan conflict in Turkey as the direct cause of the attack on the 27-year-old man.
Surveillance via TikTok
The accused selected and tracked the victim thanks to his live streams on social media, which revealed his location.
On Friday, one of the most shocking criminal trials in recent years began at the Frankfurt Regional Court. In the dock are eight men aged 22 to 56, holding German and Turkish citizenship. Seven of them face charges of murder with base motives, while one is accused of aiding and planning the crime. The indictment details the moment of the attack, which occurred on August 20, 2024. The main perpetrator allegedly approached the victim from behind on the bustling platform and fired shots at close range directly into the 27-year-old's head. The prosecution has no doubt that the crime was rooted in a blood feud stemming from a family conflict in Turkey. It was precisely these historical grievances that led to the victim being targeted. What is particularly striking in this case is that the accused used modern technology to locate their target. The 27-year-old man was an active user of the TikTok platform, where he regularly posted video content and conducted live streams. It was the analysis of these recordings that allowed the perpetrators to pinpoint the victim's precise location on the day of the attack and track his train journey to Frankfurt. The phenomenon of family vendettas, though marginal in Western Europe, still occurs in traditional communities in some regions of Asia Minor and the Balkans, posing a challenge to modern legal systems. The trial is being conducted under extraordinary security measures due to the risk of further acts of violence between the involved clans. The courthouse is guarded by numerous police units, and everyone entering is subjected to meticulous checks. The hearing is precedent-setting due to the brutality of the act committed in a public place and the cynical use of social media as a surveillance tool prior to the murder. A verdict in this case is expected after the conclusion of the multi-month evidentiary proceedings. „The accused used the victim's activity on the TikTok platform to precisely determine his location and carry out the execution.” — Prosecution Spokesperson 8 — men accused of involvement in the crime