The 65-year-old woman who drove the Stade mass shooter away from the scene works as a family and migration adviser for a pro-migration organization that receives significant funding from the German government, according to exclusive information obtained by German outlet NIUS.
The woman, identified as Sylvia S from Bremen, reportedly drove the 45-year-old German citizen of Turkish origin to Monday’s custody-related meeting at a mother-and-child welfare facility in Stade, Lower Saxony. The man opened fire during the meeting, killing six employees—four women and two men—before fleeing in a grey Mercedes driven by Sylvia S. Police stopped the vehicle after a pursuit and detained both of them. The suspect, reportedly linked to the notorious Miri clan, remains in custody.
According to NIUS, the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé had been re-registered in Sylvia S’s name on 26 May, approximately five weeks before the massacre.
Prosecutors have confirmed that the woman drove the suspect both to the appointment and away from the scene after the shooting. She was initially detained but later released because investigators currently lack sufficient grounds to justify an arrest warrant. Her possible involvement, along with that of the child’s mother, remains under investigation.
NIUS reported that S works for the Association of Binational Families and Partnerships, known in German as the Verband binationaler Familien und Partnerschaften (iaf). Bremen’s family services portal lists a person named Sylvia Scholz as an adviser at the organization’s local office, which provides counselling on family reunification, residence rights, naturalization, marriage, divorce, social benefits, and other migration-related matters.
The association presents itself as an advocacy organization for binational and migrant families and campaigns against racism. Federal records show that its national organization received €424,983.59 in 2025 and €424,972.84 in 2026 through the government’s ‘Live Democracy!’ programme—almost €850,000 over the two years—for its participation in a nationwide anti-racism network. The funding was awarded to the association’s national project rather than directly to S or specifically to its Bremen office.
According to NIUS, S is also the godmother of the suspect’s three-month-old daughter, whose treatment and custody were at the centre of the dispute preceding the mass shooting. The infant had been examined at Hannover Medical School and later treated at a children’s hospital after doctors suspected shaken baby syndrome, also known as abusive head trauma (AHT).
The parents and their supporters rejected that diagnosis, maintaining that the injury resulted from an accidental collision in bed when the father struck the baby’s head with his own while half-asleep. The father also allegedly attempted to prevent an emergency operation by calling police to the hospital, after which doctors reported him for aggressive behaviour.
‘Federal records show that its national organization received €424,983.59 in 2025 and €424,972.84 in 2026 through the government’s ‘Live Democracy!’ programme’
Three days before the shooting, S reportedly sent a roughly 20-page letter to several German media organizations presenting the family’s version of events. The document accused doctors and authorities of contradictions, inadequate medical documentation, and unfair treatment of the father. Reports examining the letter said it contained no threats against welfare employees or public officials.
Authorities had removed the baby from the family before a court permitted her return to her mother on the condition that they live at the supervised Stade facility rather than at their home in Hanover. Monday’s ‘help-plan meeting’ was convened there to discuss the case.
Investigators are now examining whether S knew anything about the suspect’s alleged preparations. NDR reported on Thursday that he apparently bought the Beretta pistol used in the attack in Berlin approximately one week earlier. Prosecutors are investigating six counts of murder and have cited possible treachery and base motives.
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