Crime: Police officer dies after knife assault on Mannheim market sq. | EUROtoday

The police officer who was attacked within the knife assault on Mannheim's market sq. has died of his accidents. This was introduced by the Karlsruhe public prosecutor's workplace, the Mannheim police headquarters and the State Criminal Police Office.

The attacker stabbed the 29-year-old officer a number of occasions within the head space. “He underwent emergency surgery immediately after the attack and was placed in an artificial coma, but succumbed to his serious injuries in the late afternoon hours of June 2,” the authorities stated. “We mourn the loss of a police officer who gave his life for our safety.” Mannheim's mayor Christian Specht (CDU) ordered flags to be flown at half-mast on the city corridor from Monday.

The motive of the 25-year-old perpetrator continues to be unclear. The man, who was born in Afghanistan however got here to Germany as a young person in 2014, shouldn’t be but capable of be questioned – he was additionally injured by a police shot after the assault. He has not beforehand come to the eye of the police; he’s married, has two kids and lives in Heppenheim, Hesse. In the assault, the person injured six males, together with the police officer, on Friday morning on the occasion of the anti-Islam motion Pax Europa (BPE) in the marketplace sq. within the metropolis heart. Among the injured is BPE board member Michael Stürzenberger.

Politicians pay tribute to high victims

“The news has shocked me to the core,” stated Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann. His ideas are with the household, kin and colleagues, stated the Green politician. “This terrible act painfully reminds us all of the often incalculable risks that police officers are exposed to every day.” The service that law enforcement officials present to the state, the group and the free democratic primary order can’t be valued extremely sufficient. “As a society, we owe them the utmost respect and appreciation.”

“These are moments when the world seems to stand still,” defined Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU). “The entire Baden-Württemberg police force will always and forever honor his memory.” The police officer was the sufferer of a brutal, bestial assault. “He gave his life because he stood up for protecting other people.”

“This young police officer had his whole life ahead of him,” stated CDU state chief Manuel Hagel. “Nothing can ever heal this painful loss.” The total nation owes the younger officer a deep debt of gratitude for his heroism.

Chancellor Scholz “deeply” dismayed

Numerous federal politicians have been additionally shocked by the dying of the younger man. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his “deep” dismay on X. “His commitment to the safety of us all deserves the highest recognition. In these bitter hours, my thoughts are with his family and all those who mourn him,” wrote the SPD politician.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated the police officer's dying made her “infinitely sad”. “He intervened courageously to save lives. He died in the service of our security,” pressured the SPD politician. CDU chief Friedrich Merz wrote on X: “The knife attack on Friday has today turned into an insidious murder. My thoughts are with the family. It is simply terrible.” FDP chief Christian Lindner, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Green Party chief Omid Nouripour and quite a few different politicians additionally reacted with shock to the police officer's dying.

Anger at police union

The German Police Union reacted with shock, but additionally anger. “The violence we encounter every day is ruthlessly brutal, inhumane and often deadly,” stated state head Ralf Kusterer. The campaigns towards hate and incitement typically don’t even start to handle the issues that law enforcement officials need to endure day by day. “Discussions about democracy and freedom of opinion do not reach perpetrators who are incapable of committing a crime or religious fanatics whose world of thought seems completely alien and absurd to us.” On the X platform, police authorities nationwide expressed their disappointment over the dying of their colleague below the hashtag #einervonuns.

Human chain and YES rally on Mannheim market sq.

In gentle of the knife assault, a cross-party alliance known as for a vigil towards violence and hatred in Mannheim on Sunday afternoon. At the identical time, a rally by the Young Alternative came about in the marketplace sq.. The assembly of the AfD youth group was held below the motto “Remigration would have prevented this act!”.

Videos on the Internet present demonstrators forming a protracted human chain within the metropolis heart – and the police clashing with a bunch of Antifa activists. They waved crimson flags and lit flares. The slogan “Nazis out” was chanted in the marketplace sq..

Mannheim's mayor Specht stated the police officer's dying confirmed what hatred and incitement can do. But Specht additionally appealed to residents: “I ask you all: Let us pause in the face of this tragic development and work together to unite our city society in all its diversity and avoid any division!”

Pax Europa motion desires to proceed to look publicly

According to BPE treasurer Stefanie Kizina, the assault was aimed particularly at 59-year-old Munich resident Stürzenberger. He has been an energetic critic of Islam for years and is being monitored by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Stürzenberger has since given a right-wing conservative media a video interview from his hospital mattress – he had been stabbed to the face and thigh, amongst different issues. Police officers offered first help, he stated. Stürzenberger advised “Bild” that the assault was an “absolute nightmare” and that it got here out of nowhere.

Even after the knife assault in Mannheim, the BPE desires to look publicly at additional occasions. Kizina assumes that the police will “tighten security measures”.

Scholz: We is not going to tolerate violence

In view of the knife assault and an assault on the CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz introduced a troublesome strategy to violence. “Whether it is violence against democratic politicians who are active on the left, in the centre or on the right – it is always unacceptable and we will not tolerate it,” the SPD politician pressured on Sunday on the East German Economic Forum in Bad Saarow in Brandenburg. “We will take action against all those who try to restrict democratic space with violence,” he introduced. This applies no matter whether or not the motive is left-wing extremist, right-wing extremist or Islamist.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and State Interior Minister Strobl additionally known as for robust motion towards individuals who glorify the perpetrator's assault on-line. “Glorifying the murderous knife attack is disgusting and inhumane. Anyone who does this must be prosecuted with the full force of the criminal law. Our security authorities are pursuing this consistently,” Faeser advised “Bild am Sonntag”. Strobl advised the newspaper: “Here, crimes – especially murder – are punished with the full force of the law and not celebrated.”

dpa