Mannheim: Knife assault on market sq. – Stürzenberger speaks out after operation | EUROtoday

NFollowing the knife assault at an occasion organized by the anti-Islam motion Pax Europa in Mannheim, the State Security Department of the Karlsruhe Public Prosecutor's Office has taken over the investigation. As the officers introduced on Friday, the State Criminal Police Office and the Mannheim Police Headquarters are additionally concerned within the investigations. According to the report, six individuals and the attacker have been injured on Friday. The assault available on the market sq. was proven within the reside stream of the anti-Islam activist Michael Stürzenberger.

According to his workforce, Stürzenberger was critically injured, however his life shouldn’t be at risk. According to investigators, 4 different members of the motion have been injured. Finally, the attacker additionally stabbed a police officer earlier than being shot by one other officer, as could be seen within the video.

According to data from WELT AM SONNTAG, the suspect is 25-year-old Sulaiman A. from Afghanistan. According to “Spiegel”, he’s stated to have lived round 40 kilometers away from Mannheim in Hesse. The authorities haven’t but seen him as an extremist, the report stated.

The injured police officer apparently initially mistook one other man for the perpetrator and knelt on him. Meanwhile, the precise attacker – black sweatpants, inexperienced shirt, full beard, glasses – approached from behind and stabbed the police officer a number of occasions. The id of the person was initially unknown.

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According to WELT AM SONNTAG data, the injured police officer underwent emergency surgical procedure. The video confirmed the officer standing up after the assault and grabbing his neck. Several blood vessels are stated to have been torn and injured within the assault. Stürzenberger, who was hit within the leg and face by the attacker, additionally underwent emergency surgical procedure on Friday. He then thanked the docs and different helpers on Telegram. The operation “went well”.

Mannheim's mayor Christian Specht described the assault as a terrorist assault. “On behalf of the city of Mannheim and the Mannheim community, I condemn this vile, brutal terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms as part of an anti-Islam event,” stated the CDU politician on Friday. According to “Spiegel,” investigators imagine an Islamist motive is probably going. However, this has not but been confirmed, the journal reported on Friday.

Stürzenberger needed to participate in a rally available on the market sq. as a speaker. The date was publicly identified. One of the rally's calls for was: “Stop political Islam.” In the video, the assault on Stürzenberger seems to be focused and deliberate. Rescue staff and a rescue helicopter are in motion, the police spokeswoman stated on Friday. The market sq. within the metropolis heart of town of 300,000 inhabitants has been cordoned off and privateness screens have been put up.

According to individuals near him, Stürzenberger shouldn’t be at risk of dying

The Citizens' Movement Pax Europa (BPE) get together, of which Stürzenberger is a member, confirmed in a press release that Stürzenberger and different helpers have been attacked at a BPE rally in Mannheim at round 11:30 a.m. The victims suffered extreme accidents. According to “Bild”, a colleague of Stürzenberger stated: “He was hit in the leg and face and is undergoing emergency surgery. His life is apparently not in danger.”

“The attack happened before the event even started, it must have been planned well in advance,” stated the colleague. A spokeswoman for town of Mannheim confirmed that the group had registered an occasion available on the market sq. for Friday morning.

Scholz and Faeser shocked

Chancellor Olaf Scholz was shocked by the act of violence. “The images from Mannheim are terrible,” the SPD politician wrote on Twitter. “Several people were seriously injured by an attacker. My thoughts are with the victims. Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrator must be severely punished.”

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) spoke of a horrible crime. “The images of this brutal act of violence are shocking.” She hoped that the victims would have the ability to make a full restoration. “My thoughts are especially with the police officer who was seriously injured by knife wounds. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the police officers who intervened immediately and to the doctors and rescue workers who are fighting for the lives of the victims of this terrible act.”

The investigations would make clear the background of the crime, particularly the background and motives of the perpetrator, wrote Faeser. “If the investigations reveal an Islamist motive, then that would be a further confirmation of the great danger posed by Islamist acts of violence that we have warned about.”

CDU chief Friedrich Merz additionally reacted with dismay to the assault. “The images from Mannheim are horrific. This is terror,” Merz wrote on X. “My thoughts are with the victims today. I wish them a speedy and full recovery.” Green Party chief Omid Nouripour described the assault as outrageous and wished these affected a fast and full restoration. “Freedom of expression must be protected against all forms of violence. Tolerating opposition without violence is fundamental to a democracy. The perpetrator and any backers must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was additionally outraged. “I condemn the crime in Mannheim in the strongest possible terms!”, his spokeswoman Cerstin Gammelin wrote on Friday on Steinmeier's behalf on X. “There must be no room for violence in our democracy – violence destroys democracy. Freedom of expression is a precious asset.” He wished the injured a speedy restoration and thanked the police for his or her fast intervention.

Stürzenberger and his entourage across the Pax Europa motion are categorized by the authorities in Bavaria, for instance, as being responsible of Islamophobia, which is related to the safety of the structure. Stürzenberger has due to this fact repeatedly acted as a gathering chief for Pax Europa up to now.

He additionally appeared as an writer on the right-wing extremist web site “Politically Incorrect”. He spreads “Islamophobic statements”, based on the web site of the Bavarian Information Center in opposition to Extremism. On his Instagram web page, Stürzenberger has printed quite a few threats in opposition to himself. One of the messages reads: “I'll stab everyone too. Just wait and see.” Another message reads: “You are a dirty son of a bitch.” Another of the numerous messages reads: “You son of a bitch should be gassed.” Many messages comprise direct threats, foul language and sexualized fantasies in opposition to Stürzenberger's household.

Videos of the assault shortly unfold on social networks. Due to the disturbing scenes, WELT refrains from displaying photos of the incident.