The Hague cafe owner faces 15 years for fatally shooting customer in face
The 51-year-old cafe owner arrested in the fatal shooting of a 45-year-old customer outside his bar on Soestdijkseplein last October appeared in court Thursday, where prosecutors rejected his self-defense claim and demanded a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
Zulkuf U. shot Murat in the left cheek on the evening of Oct. 21, 2025, in front of café Het Plein. Murat died the next morning in the hospital. A 28-year-old man from The Hague — U.’s son—was also initially arrested in the case.
Security camera footage from inside and outside the cafe, played in court, showed the sequence of events. Murat had entered the cafe earlier that evening and initially shook hands with U. He soon became aggressive at a slot machine. U. tried to calm him, but Murat kicked over a bar stool and grabbed the owner by the throat. Customers helped U. eject the intoxicated man.
Outside, Murat continued his rampage, attempting to throw terrace chairs, kicking over another, and repeatedly trying to force his way back inside. He threatened to kill U. and his family, saying one of them would die that day and shouting that he would “fuck your mother”—a severe insult in Turkish-Kurdish culture, according to the defense.
U. told the court, “He threatened me with death. He said, "I'm going to shoot you. You need to experience what it's like to have someone from outside shooting at you. "I'm going to murder you; either you or I will die today."
U. said he had bought a pistol a few months earlier “because of the group around him.” Murat and his friends had frequented the cafe for about three months and allegedly bragged in detail about their criminal activities. After the ejection, U. pulled the gun inside but was held back multiple times by customers and eventually put it away while hearing the ongoing threats.
The situation exploded when U.’s son arrived outside and was punched in the face by Murat. U. broke free, grabbed the gun, and stormed out, firing one shot at close range.
U. turned himself in the next day. He expressed repeated remorse in court, saying the shooting “never should have happened” and that he has “enormous regret.”
“I find it very sad for the family. I can’t turn it back,” U. said. “My intention was not to hit or shoot him. I hoped that he would go away or that the police would come quickly.” He called buying the gun “a wrong choice” after prior incidents at the cafe and offered to pay the funeral costs.
U.’s lawyer argued self-defense applied because of the “continuous threat” from Murat, whom U. feared might be armed. “He keeps provoking and behaving aggressively and threatens not only the client with death, but also his family. He said, "I'm going to fuck your mother. In the Turkish-Kurdish culture, it's a very serious insult. He also keeps trying to get back inside,” the lawyer said. “There was a continuous threat emanating from Murat.” It was “only one shot, in panic. He has not emptied his entire weapon,” the lawyer added, requesting acquittal.
Murat’s family told the court he was “of inestimable value to us. He was a beloved son, father, and partner. He was loved by many. As parents, we have had to bury our children. That goes against the natural order of life.”
They criticized the shooting: “Distance could have been taken, the police could have been called, or a punch. Or, even if he really wanted to use the weapon, then he could have aimed at the lower body. Yet he chose his face. The shooting was aimed at killing him."
Prosecutors said defending his son was permissible but that the shooting was disproportionate and not self-defense. “The son received a punch. That was no reason to shoot. Pulling the trigger goes too far. Murat’s earlier behavior changes nothing about that,” the prosecutor said. “He shoots at someone who punches. Also from very close by and in the face. That fits more like a settling of accounts. He has taken the law into his own hands and solved the situation with a troublesome customer himself. On a fatal way.”
Alternatives such as calling police existed while Murat was outside, prosecutors noted. They found indications of murder from the timeline but insufficient proof and charged manslaughter instead.
