Gunfire in Düsseldorf: Trial Begins Over Attack on Drug Lord’s Nephew

The trial over the attempted murder of a notorious drug lord’s nephew begins Monday in Düsseldorf under stringent security measures. The regional court is using the high-security wing of the Higher Regional Court, a facility built for terrorism trials.

Three defendants face proceedings. Prosecutors accuse two of attempted murder and the third of aiding the alleged attack. They say a 39-year-old Syrian man and a 22-year-old Turkish man fired 10 shots at a taxi passenger on a main road in Düsseldorf on the afternoon of Dec. 30, 2025.

The 40-year-old victim was struck by seven bullets but survived after emergency surgery. Special forces arrested the 39-year-old in Hamelin, Lower Saxony, and detained the 22-year-old alleged shooter in Gelsenkirchen. Investigators found an assault rifle and another firearm in his apartment.

Before the attack, the victim had attended a demonstration outside the Dutch consulate in Düsseldorf calling for the release of his uncle. The uncle, the well-known drug lord Hüseyin B., has been imprisoned in the Netherlands for about 28 years and is also described as “Europe’s Pablo Escobar.”