Mannheim: Police search apartment related to knife assault in Hesse.
News outlets state that the assailant is a 25-year-old man of Afghan descent, residing roughly 40 kilometers from Mannheim in Hessen. This individual allegedly attacked and wounded five members of PAX Europa, a civic group, as well as a police officer on Mannheim's city center square. The offender was then shot and taken into custody by a different police officer.
The injured victims were transported to hospitals per the prosecutor's office and the police. Some individuals required immediate surgery. Meanwhile, the police officer allegedly sustained several stabs to the back of their head. The State Protection Office, in coordination with the Criminal Investigation Department of Baden-Württemberg and the Mannheim Police Headquarters, assumed responsibility for the investigation.
The treasurer of PAX Europa, Stefanie Kizina, spoke to the "Bild" newspaper, disclosing that the assault targeted board member Michael Stürzenberger. He had suffered facial injuries from a knife.
Stürzenberger and his group within PAX-Europa are considered to focus on constitutionally relevant Islamophobia, primarily in Bavaria. Stürzenberger reportedly frequently served as a meeting leader for PAX Europa.
Moreover, Stürzenberger occasionally appeared as a presenter on the right-wing extremist website Political Incorrect. He shared "Islamophobic statements," according to the Bavarian Office Against Extremism's information portal.
The incident provoked dismay among various political factions. "Violence is completely unacceptable in our democracy; the perpetrator deserves harsh punishment," remarked Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Friday. Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) also decried the "brutal act of violence."
