Turkish illegal migrant arrested for raping New York girl, 15, in his car after threatening her with metal pole
An undocumented Turkish migrant has been charged with the rape and kidnapping of a teenage girl in New York state.
Sakir Akkan, 21, was arrested last week for the attack on a 15-year-old girl on May 14 in Albany.
The attack happened shortly after midnight when Akkan approached the victim in a green Toyota Prius, got out and threatened her with a metal pole, police said. Times Union.
Akkan is a Turkish migrant who illegally crossed the border into San Diego seven months ago. Critics have lambasted police for failing to inform the public about the attack.
“To make it absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone else on law enforcement had any idea of the immigration status of the suspect in this case until he was arrested and arraigned on the charges,” Police Chief Eric Hawkins said. of Albany. WRGB.
Sakir Akkan (pictured), 21, a Turkish migrant who entered the country illegally, was charged in the brutal rape of a 15-year-old girl in Albany
“Immigration status simply played no role in the decision to release it to the media, and any insinuation to the contrary is completely inaccurate.
“The Albany Police Department’s general practice is not to release information regarding sexual assaults via press release to avoid further trauma to the victim unless there are other extenuating circumstances, such as if the situation poses an immediate threat to the public. The Albany Police Department has determined that this is not the case.”
The teenage girl had left her group home on New Scotland Avenue when she was allegedly approached by Akkan.
He forced her into the car by threatening to hit her and drove away to a secluded area near South Pearl Street, police said.
Critics have condemned police for failing to notify the public of the attack, but Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins (pictured) said this is standard practice.
Akkan allegedly pushed her into the backseat and raped her. According to police, she suffered scratches on her legs in self-defense.
Surveillance footage showed a man, believed to be Akkan, getting the girl out of the car and then driving away after the sexual assault.
He was not arrested until a month later and is currently being held in the Albany County Jail on $25,000 bail, $50,000 bail or $75,000 partial bail.
Akkan’s attorney, George LaMarche, said The New York Post His client will not be able to post bail because he has an immigration detention pending against him.
He was arrested in November for illegally crossing the border, but was released on his own recognizance and was due to appear in court in Philadelphia in February 2025.
Akkan is currently being held in the Albany County Jail (pictured) on a $25,000 bond, but his attorney said the FBI has issued an immigration detainer against him.
Locals have lambasted the police for failing to issue a press release about the attack, Akkan’s arrest and his immigration status.
“A 15 year old girl raped by an ILLEGAL ALIEN in the city of Albany and the public is not notified? Are we to believe that this was not covered up by the city government? B******t,” Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said on X.
“Albany County has now joined the growing list of municipalities where serious violent crimes are committed by people who are in our country illegally,” said Albany County Legislator Frank Mauriello.
“Local authorities’ efforts to conceal these heinous crimes and the suspects’ immigration status from the public for weeks only make matters worse.”