The "Godfather of Berlin" leaves Germany

Between 2005 and 2011, clan boss Mahmoud Al-Zein was particularly noticeable for criminal offenses in Germany. After long puzzles about his nationality, investigators could determine his Turkish origin.

The Berlin Senate has confirmed the departure of the notorious criminal clan chief Mahmoud Al-Zein. The man with Turkish citizenship left Germany, said Interior Senator Andreas Geisel. He is not allowed to re-enter now. After his asylum application was rejected, he had been tolerated since 1984 because he did not have a valid passport. For over 30 years he had not been involved in obtaining passports.

Al-Zein, known as the "Godfather of Berlin", attracted attention in particular between 2005 and 2011 due to repeated criminal offenses. Since 2005 he has been recorded as a suspect 70 times. He was convicted eleven times in total, most recently in 2017 for resisting law enforcement officers. A few years ago it was possible to determine the Turkish citizenship of the man, said the Senate. He had previously pretended to be a stateless person from Lebanon.

Last year, the 54-year-old tried to get a Turkish passport and tried to get a residence permit for family due to health reasons. The legal dispute over this approval was brought before the administrative court, the higher administrative court and the constitutional court. All instances decided in favor of the immigration authorities.

With his departure, the man probably wanted to forestall an impending deportation, said the interior administration. "We fight clan crime at all levels, including the right of residence," said Geisel about the case. "It pays to keep up the pressure and persevere."

Source: NTV