A police officer critically injured after being stabbed at an anti-Islamic event in Germany’s Mannheim has been placed in an induced coma, officials said on Saturday as the suspected perpetrator was charged with attempted murder.
“He remains in a critical condition,” said a spokesman for the police force in the western German state of Baden-Württemberg.
The attack occurred on Friday morning during an event hosted by the Pax Europa movement, with five other people also sustaining injuries. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
The suspected perpetrator underwent surgery after sustaining gunshot wounds during his capture, according to police. He was said to be still unfit for questioning due to his condition.
The public prosecutor’s office in the city of Karlsruhe and the Baden-Württemberg State Office of Criminal Investigation confirmed that an arrest warrant was issued for the 25-year-old attacker, who was born in Afghanistan.
The man, who lives in the western German state of Hesse and is married with two children, has been accused of attempted murder.
His home was also searched, police said. He was not previously known to police.
The attack comes at a time of deep divisions in Germany over Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinian militant organization Hamas in Gaza.
It also coincides with the growing debate around the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has a firm anti-immigration stance, ahead of European Parliament elections next week.
Omid Nouripour, co-leader of the Greens, one of the three parties in the country’s ruling coalition, called for democratic solidarity following the knife attack.
“We will not allow the democratic culture in this country to be destroyed by violence, regardless of whether it comes from Islamists or right-wing extremists,” said Nouripour, who is Muslim, during a party conference in Potsdam.
“There is no place for violence in political debate in this country,” he added, describing the Mannheim attack as abhorrent.
Despite the incident, Pax Europa said it is planning further public events. Next Saturday, the anti-Islamist group will set up a booth outside the train station in the western city of Dortmund, its treasurer Stefanie Kizina told dpa.
She expected that the police “will certainly tighten security measures.” Pax Europa did not intend to provide its own security, Kizina said.
According to Kizina, the attack was specifically aimed at Pax Europa board member Michael Stürzenberger, who sustained serious injuries.
Stürzenberger would “definitely carry on” his work with the organization, she said. However, he was not expected to attend the event planned next week in light of his injuries.
Writing on the social media platform Telegram on Saturday, Stürzenberger thanked all the doctors involved in his treatment, as well as facial surgeons who travelled from a specialist clinic to assist in the operation.
“It was really close yesterday,” the 59-year-old wrote. He suffered several stab wounds, including one in his thigh that caused “considerable blood loss.” His face was also injured, he said.
Source Agencies
