According to authorities, a man brandished a knife at a market square in Mannheim, a city in southwest Germany, attacking many people.
Michael Stürzenberger, an anti-Islam activist, was among those hurt; according to his group, he was getting ready to stage a demonstration in the square.
A policeman arrived to assist the man after the attacker had stabbed him, as seen in a YouTube livestream of the incident. The officer’s health is seriously compromised.
Another police officer shot and injured the attacker. Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, called the tragedy “horrible” and expressed his sympathies to the victims.
“Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy,” he wrote on X. Severe punishment for the offender is required.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched to the location, and Mannheim police tweeted about a “major police operation” in the city’s market square.
In a follow-up statement, police stated that about 11:35 (10:35 BST), one individual attacked multiple individuals with a knife, wounding them.
Then, it said, a gun was used against the assailant. It is believed that the incident coincided with a demonstration in the market square organized by Michael Stürzenberger, a far-right anti-Islamic activist, and his group, the Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa (BPE).
An official from the city of Mannheim attested to the fact that the group had scheduled an event for Friday morning on the market square.
The tabloid Bild was notified by BPE that Mr. Stürzenberger had suffered facial and leg injuries. Stefanie Kizina, his colleague, informed the publication that although Mr. Stürzenberger needs surgery, his life was not in jeopardy.
“The attack happened before the event even started, it must have been planned well in advance,” she stated.
Additional details on the attack victims have not been disclosed by the police. A police officer was critically unwell and will require emergency surgery, according to DPA.
A man is shown in a livestreamed video from the event attacking people with a knife, wounding at least one person’s leg.
A number of bystanders are seen struggling with the attacker, who then breaks free and stabs a police officer in the back. A number of police officers with firearms surround him before he collapses to the ground.
Who is Michael Stürzenberger?
Bild claims that Michael Stürzenberger is a member of the BPE, an organization that opposes the “Islamization” of Germany, and the creator of an Islamophobic blog.
The 58-year-old is under surveillance by the Bavarian domestic intelligence service and is one of the writers for the anti-Muslim portal PI-News.
Mr. Stürzenberger, a former politician, was the leader of Die Freiheit, a tiny right-wing populist party that disbanded in 2016.
He had formerly belonged to the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) sister party in Bavaria, but he had left before he was expelled.