Several wounded in ‘terrible’ knife attack in Germany

AFP | Berlin

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A prominent Islam critic was among several people wounded in a knife attack yesterday in Germany denounced as “terrible” by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The attack just days before EUwide elections comes amid a spike of politically motivated violence in Germany. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser raised the possibility that the assault could be Islamist motivated, and vowed a thorough investigation into the case.

A man with a knife attacked and wounded several people on the market square in the city of Mannheim at around 11:35 am (0935 GMT), police said in a statement. Police then shot at the attacker, who was also wounded as a result.

“The extent and severity of the injuries are not yet known,” the police said, adding that there was no further danger to the public.

“The images from Mannheim are terrible,” Scholz wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrator must be severely punished.” According to several media reports, one of the victims was Michael Stuerzenberger, a German far-right activist and blogger.

Stuerzenberger had been due to speak at a rally in Mannheim yesterday organised by Pax Europa, a campaign group against radical Islam.

The group said on its website that Stuerzenberger and several Pax Europa volunteers were wounded in a knife attack at the rally. Stuerzenberger suffered serious stab wounds to his face and also to his leg, while a police officer was also stabbed in the back and neck, the group said.

‘Great danger’

Stuerzenberger has been a prominent anti-Islam campaigner in Germany for several years.

Pax Europa has been classed as Islamophobic by Bavarian security services, which have also accused Stuerzenberger of making “Islamophobic statements”. Minister Faeser also denounced the attack, calling for a thorough investigation into the motive.

“If the investigations reveal an Islamist motive, this would be a further confirmation of the great danger posed by Islamist acts of violence,” she said in a statement.

Germany has been on high alert for possible Islamist attacks since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, with the country’s domestic intelligence chief warning that the risk of such assaults is “real and higher than it has been for a long time”.

The country had also seen a spate of attacks on politicians at work or on the campaign trail in the run-up to the EU elections on June 9.