Shooter in McDonald's double killing claims victims were extorting him

The shooter who killed two brothers at a McDonald's in Zwolle in March said their family threatened and extorted him for months. He insists he did not go to the McDonald's with the intent to kill the men and says he regrets what happened, according to the NOS.

The suspect, Veysel Ü., claims he invested money with the victims' family in an attempt to buy property in Istanbul. However, he says he never saw much of the money again. The family of the victims, Hüseyin and Ali Torunlar, disputes these claims. Ali's son told police that the suspect was the one who cheated in the property deal. Police are still investigating these claims, along with reporting that the suspect was involved in the illegal drug trade.

When Ü. met the two brothers at the McDonald's on March 30, they told him he had to pay 30,000 euros, which he said he could not pay, according to the suspect. The suspect's lawyers say the shooting was not premeditated, but was due to a psychological break after being threatened. "I was told: I will shoot you and we will take your children with us," Ü. said.

Then Ü. shot both brothers in the crowded McDonald's, causing a panic among other customers, many of whom had children with them. "I really regret what happened at McDonald's," the suspect said. "I am terribly ashamed. Also for the children who were there."

Ü., who the Public Prosecution Service (OM) suspects of murder or manslaughter, drove away in his car and threw his phone and weapon out of the window, he said. Police have not yet found the phone or weapon, according to the NOS.

"If he had felt threatened, he should have gone to the police and not have killed two people," said Priscilla Buchele, the lawyer for the family of Hüseyin and Ali Torunlar.