Hamburg marks 25th anniversary of NSU murder as victim's family boycotts official ceremony
The family of Süleyman Taşköprü, shot dead by the neo-Nazi NSU in 2001, is refusing to take part in the city's commemoration, deepening a rift over Hamburg's refusal to hold a parliamentary inquiry into the terror series.
The murder and the NSU series
Süleyman Taşköprü, a 31-year-old Turkish greengrocer, was shot in the head in his Hamburg-Bahrenfeld shop on 23 June 2001. He died shortly afterwards in his father's arms. The killing was one of ten murders carried out by the National Socialist Underground (NSU) trio of Uwe Mundlos, Uwe Böhnhardt and Beate Zschäpe between 2000 and 2007, targeting nine ethnic Turkish and Greek small-business owners and a policewoman.
The failure of authorities
For more than a decade, investigators failed to link the murders and instead probed the victims' own circles. Taşköprü's father told police he had seen two Germans near the crime scene, but the tip was ignored. The NSU's racist motive only came to light in late 2011, after Mundlos and Böhnhardt killed themselves following a bank robbery in Eisenach and a video boasting of the killings was found in the rubble of the trio's Zwickau flat, set alight by Zschäpe. She was convicted of murder in 2018 and sentenced to life imprisonment after a five-year trial.
Hamburg's exceptional stance
A memorial stone was placed at the Schützenstraße crime scene in late 2012, and a 300-metre stretch of Kohlentwiete was renamed Taşköprüstraße in 2014. However, a push to rename Schützenstraße itself failed due to residents' opposition. While every other federal state where the NSU struck set up a parliamentary investigative committee, Hamburg did not. The city senate issued a nearly 90-page report in 2014, but calls for deeper scrutiny persisted. In early 2025, an interdisciplinary research team began a scientific review commissioned by the state parliament.
Family rejects official ceremony
Taşköprü's relatives continue to demand a full parliamentary inquiry and feel abandoned by politicians. The depth of the estrangement became clear during preparations for the 25th anniversary. Bürgerschaft president Carola Veit wrote to the family earlier this year seeking contact.
It is very important to me to get in touch with the family, so I wrote a letter at the beginning of the year. I also sought contact with a view to our research project and hoped that would be a good starting point.
No reply came for a long time, and the family is now staying away from the official commemoration.
- Süleyman Taşköprü shot dead in his Hamburg shop.
- NSU uncovered after Mundlos and Böhnhardt suicide; video boasting of murders found.
- Memorial stone placed at Schützenstraße crime scene.
- Street renamed Taşköprüstraße; Hamburg Senate issues 90-page report.
- Beate Zschäpe sentenced to life imprisonment.
- Interdisciplinary research team begins scientific review of the case.
- 25th anniversary; family boycotts official commemoration.
