Investigations - No trace of perpetrator after attack on bishop
Following the attack on former Hildesheim Auxiliary Bishop Nikolaus Schwerdtfeger in Laatzen near Hanover, the assailant is still unknown. The 75-year-old is still being treated in hospital, but is on the road to recovery, a police spokesman said on Monday. He has already been questioned.
According to the investigation so far, a stranger rang Schwerdtfeger's front doorbell on Saturday evening and asked for money. When the clergyman did not respond to the demand for money, the stranger is said to have punched the 75-year-old in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and suffer broken ribs, among other injuries. According to the police, the case is being investigated on suspicion of assault. The injuries were potentially life-threatening, said the spokesperson.
The background to the violence is unclear. Whether the attacker made any loot is also still being investigated. Investigators are hoping for information from witnesses. On Monday, the criminal investigation department secured evidence at the crime scene.
Schwerdtfeger retired at the beginning of October at the age of 75. He had been an auxiliary bishop in the diocese of Hildesheim since 1995. The retired auxiliary bishop lives in a house in the Catholic parish of St. Oliver in Laatzen.
Homepage Catholic parish of St. Oliver
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- The attack on Bishop Nikolaus Schwerdtfeger took place in the peaceful community of Laatzen, located in Lower Saxony's Hanover region.
- The robbery at the Bishop's residence in Laatzen has left the local Catholic community in shock and has sparked calls for increased security measures in the area.
- Despite the bishop's residence being located in the heart of Hanover, the crimes committed there have highlighted the presence of criminality even in seemingly safe areas.
- The Bishop of Hildesheim, whose auxiliary Bishop was the victim, has expressed his determination to work towards preventing such incidents in the future.
- Investigators are appealing to the local community in Hanover and Laatzen to come forward with any information that may help in the apprehension of the perpetrator and bring justice for Bishop Nikolaus Schwerdtfeger.
Source: www.stern.de
