Syrian Crime Family Voluntarily Leaves Germany With State Payout After Racking Up Over 160 Offenses

The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Justice announced on Monday that 17 members of the family, many of whom were already known to police, had voluntarily returned to Syria. The family, originally from Syria and who arrived in Germany between 2015 and 2020, had been living in Stuttgart and had terrorized local communities for years.

The total crime count from the family came to light after a parliamentary inquiry from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which was then released by the state interior ministry in December last year. It showed members had conducted 47 physical assaults, 11 threats, two robberies, three robbery-related thefts, and one case of smuggling of foreigners, while attempted murder charges had also been added.

One of the youngest criminals in the family is 17-year-old Khalil H., who committed 34 crimes in just two and a half years. He is now serving actual prison time after brutally stabbing a young woman. He also has three brothers who are in prison as well, all of whom are serving multi-year sentences.

According to Focus, four others had already left the country earlier this year, departing directly from prison or pre-trial detention in June and August. Bild reported that the remaining 13 boarded a scheduled flight from Stuttgart Airport to Turkey on Saturday, alongside regular passengers unaware that several serious criminals were among them.

According to the ministry, each departing family member received an average of €1,350 under Germany’s voluntary return program, totaling around €18,000 in taxpayer cash. Officials argued that this approach was cost-effective compared with deportation, which is currently not possible to Syria.

State Secretary Siegfried Lorek defended the move, describing it as “money well spent.” After months of unsuccessful negotiations, family head Almudy H., who is also a convicted criminal, accepted the state’s offer, with the prospect of family reunification back in Syria becoming more appealing once some members had already returned and others faced deportation upon completing their sentences.

Almudy H. has previously blamed the German Youth Welfare Office for the crimes, claiming the agency “spoiled his children” with handouts instead of having them work and earn their own way.

“The message is clear: Those who commit criminal acts have no future in Germany,” Lorek said, a somewhat confusing message considering the family only returned to their country of origin voluntarily.

Asked about the risk of the family trying to re-enter Germany, Lorek noted that human smuggling typically costs around €10,000 per person. “Therefore, the current funding cannot be used for this purpose,” he said.