Concern for police officers

Knife attack: Islam critic reports after surgery

Screenshot from the video that was published on social media: The attacker stabs a police officer, the officer on the right shoots him down a short time later.

(Bild: Quelle: YouTube/Augen auf!; krone.at)

Even a day after the bloody knife attack in the German city of Mannheim, the shock is still deep. The perpetrator, who was shot down by the police, underwent surgery and is currently not fit for questioning. The policeman who was injured in the attack is "still in mortal danger", said a spokesman for the State Office of Criminal Investigation on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, another victim, Islam critic Michael Stürzenberger (59), spoke out after surviving emergency surgery. 

The 59-year-old wrote on the messenger service "Telegram" to his 7300 followers that the two-and-a-half-hour operation in a clinic had "gone well".

Photos from the scene:

+5

Fotos

Critic of Islam thanks the doctors
Stürzenberger: "Many thanks to all the doctors, surgeons, other medical staff and nurses involved. And to all the police officers and BPE stewards who courageously confronted the attacker. I hope that the policeman who was stabbed in the neck and all the other injured will soon be well again."

Michael Stürzenberger was stabbed

(Bild: AFP)

The former CSU press spokesman and critic of Islam, who was also listed in the constitution protection report ("Islamophobia relevant to constitution protection") for nine years, had taken part in a rally organized by the citizens' movement Pax Europa (BPE) on Mannheim's market square on Friday afternoon. According to the announcement, he wanted to carry out "educational work" from 12 noon to 6 pm.

Assassin comes from Afghanistan
At around 11.35 a.m., the attacker pulled out a knife and injured six people, including a police officer who, according to his colleagues, is "still in mortal danger". Investigators have not yet revealed the identity of the perpetrator. According to consistent media reports, he is a 25-year-old from Herat in Afghanistan who lives in southern Hesse.

Many questions still unanswered
According to the State Office of Criminal Investigation, many questions remain unanswered and are still under investigation. "What kind of knife is that? Where did it come from? Did he buy the knife?" - The answers to these questions will also be used to find out whether the arrested man planned the crime or whether it was a spontaneous attack. The state security department of the Karlsruhe public prosecutor's office, which is responsible for political offenses, is investigating the case. "What concerns us most is the question of motive," the LKA also said. The search for the perpetrator's motives has not yet made any progress.

Internet video shows the crime 
Shortly after the attack, a video of the crime circulated on the internet: It shows the attacker stabbing several people and bystanders shouting, "Get the knife away!" An officer can also be seen shooting the attacker. Several police officers then restrain the man on the ground. According to the police, the public prosecutor's office and the state criminal investigation department, only one shot was fired.

"The images are terrible"
The crime caused horror throughout Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz also expressed his shock. "The images from Mannheim are terrible," he wrote on Platform X. "My thoughts are with the victims. Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrator must be severely punished."

Austrian politicians also react to the crime
Austria's political parties have also reacted. For FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker, the attack is the result of a "failed European asylum and migration policy" in recent years. It is unacceptable that people in a democratic country have to fear for their lives when organizing a rally. 

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer also commented on the incident. "The images of the knife attack in Mannheim are appalling. Incitement and radicalization lead to horrific acts of violence on the streets. Radicals are becoming more and more radical, in words and in deeds," explained Nehammer.