Police: Undocumented migrant raped girl, 15, in Albany

An undocumented migrant is accused of forcibly raping a 15-year-old girl in Albany last month in his car.

Sakir Akkan, 21, was arrested last week for allegedly having sex with the girl in the car during the early morning hours of May 14. Akkan allegedly threatened her with a metal bar if she did not get into the back seat, according to court documents.

He then removed her clothes and forced her to have sex, investigators said. The victim told Akkan to stop several times and tried to push him off of her, but police said he threatened to hit her with the metal bar as well as his hand.

Akkan was charged with first-degree rape. He was arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court on June 19 and sent to Albany County Jail without bail. He is due back in court on June 27 at 1:30 p.m.

Court paperwork lists a Troy address for Akkan, but said he is not a U.S. citizen.

The Times Union was first to report the story.

Some people have criticized that the arrest was not released to the public, insinuating that politics over immigration played a role in that decision in this case and the stabbing.

Albany County Legislator Frank Mauriello, R-Colonie, said the arrest is an example of the results of an “insane open border and sanctuary city policies.”

Mauriello pointed out two men accused of stabbing a 24-year-old Albany man to death also were in the country illegally, according to the Times Union.

“The attempts by local authorities to hide these appalling crimes and the suspects’ immigration statuses for weeks from the public only makes it worse,” he said in a statement. “They are trying to minimize a vicious murder and rape committed by individuals they welcomed with open arms; unvetted and allowed to stay in our country by the Biden administration. They do not want the public to know the consequences of their actions.

 Albany Police said there was no effort to hide this arrest.

“To be perfectly clear, neither I nor anyone else in police administration had any idea whatsoever the immigration status of the defendant in this case until after he was arrested and arraigned on the charges,” said Chief Erick Hawkins in a statement. “Immigration status was simply not a factor in the media release decision and any insinuation to the contrary is completely inaccurate.”

Hawkins went on to say that information regarding sexual assaults are not released through a media release to prevent further trauma to the victim unless there are extenuating circumstances such as if the situation posed an imminent threat to the public.

The department has released information on sexual assault arrests including earlier this month on June 6, when it announced that a 17-year-old was arrested for allegedly raping a person at gunpoint.