A man wielding a knife assaulted a far-right rally in Mannheim, a city in southwestern Germany, prompting the police to shoot and injure him, as informed by the German authorities. The suspect, a bespectacled man with a beard, can be seen assaulting individuals at the city’s mainstream Marktplatz square in footage captured on social media. The clip depicts a bystander who seemingly has been stabbed in his leg and an intervening officer seemingly suffering a neck wound. The assailant is shot afterwards by another officer.
According to an official statement by Mannheim police, a firearm was deployed against the attacker. At the scene, a rescue helicopter was present. The authorities disclosed no details about the attacker’s identity or possible motives, also refraining from providing any information about the injuries caused to the protesters at the square.
Interior minister Nancy Faeser expressed her concern, particularly for the cop who was seriously hurt, in a social media post. Michael Stuerzenberger, an activist opposing Islam, was seen about to address a small group in central Mannheim as part of an event organised by the anti-Islam Pax Europa Movement during a live-stream broadcast. This footage was evidentially linked with the campaign’s Open Eyes tour of the movement.
This incident happened during the end-phase of a campaign for the European Parliament elections where concerns about migration threats from Muslim nations have been a key focus of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. If the attack is found to be Islamically motivated, it would further substantiate the urgent threat of Islamist violence, a danger the party has repeatedly warned against, added Ms Faeser, a member of the Social Democrats.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz demanded severe punishment for the assailant in a separate post. Michael Stuerzenberger, 59, an anti-Islam journalist and critic, has been associated with numerous right-wing anti-Islam groups, including PEGIDA, known for organising regular marches particularly in eastern German cities.
The police confirmed that there is no immediate danger to the public anymore.