• The migration commissioner for Germany's northern state of Lower Saxony is stepping down due to death threats and harassment following a shooting that left six people dead at a mother-and-child facility in June.
• The suspect in the shooting, a 45-year-old man, had an appointment at the facility in Stade related to a custody dispute over his 3-month-old daughter, but the child and her mother were not among the victims.
• Authorities are investigating the role of the migration commissioner's mother-in-law, who allegedly drove the getaway car for the suspect, in the attack.

The migration commissioner for Germany's northern state of Lower Saxony said on Friday that he is stepping down after receiving death threats and other harassment linked to a shooting that left six people dead at a mother-and-child facility in June.

Deniz Kurku, the state's commissioner for migration and inclusion, cited severe hostility, threats to his life and false allegations surrounding the attack in the town of Stade.

According to investigators, Kurku's mother-in-law drove the getaway car for the 45-year-old man accused of shooting dead six youth welfare workers at the facility in an apparent custody dispute.

Authorities are still scrutinizing exactly what role Kurku's mother-in-law played in the attack.

Kurku said he could no longer carry out his duties as required under the circumstances, pointing to threats against him and false allegations spread in some media reports and on social media.

Through his solicitor, he stated that he had not known the suspect or the man's family, had not been involved in the custody dispute, and had no prior knowledge of the alleged offence.

The suspect in the incident had had an appointment at the facility in Stade, to the west of Hamburg. The meeting related to the custody of his 3-month-old daughter. The child and her mother were not among the six victims.

The suspected gunman was detained by police shortly after the shooting.

Kurku took up the post of commissioner in November 2022. According to the Lower Saxony State Chancellery, the Cabinet intends to decide on his successor in the near future.