Concerns about police officers – knife attack: Islam critic reports after operation

The 59-year-old wrote to his 7,300 followers on the courier service ‘Telegram’ that the two and a half hour operation in a clinic ‘went well’.

Crime scene photos:

Islam critic thanks the doctors
Stürzenberger: “Many thanks to all doctors, surgeons, other medical staff and nurses involved. And to all the police officers and BPE stewards who bravely resisted the attacker. I hope that the police officer who was stabbed in the neck and all the other injured people will recover quickly.”

The former CSU press spokesperson and critic of Islam, who for nine years was also mentioned in the report of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (“Islamophobia Relevant for the Protection of the Constitution”), took part in a meeting of the citizens’ movement Pax Europa (BPE) on the market square of Mannheim on Friday afternoon. According to the announcement, he wanted to do “reconnaissance work” from noon to 6 p.m.

The attacker is from Afghanistan
Around 11:35 a.m., the attacker pulled a knife and injured six people, including a police officer who his colleagues said was “still in grave danger.” Investigators have not yet provided any information about the identity of the perpetrator. According to consistent media reports, the suspect is a 25-year-old boy from Herat in Afghanistan, who lives in southern Hesse.

Many questions still remain unanswered
The State Criminal Investigation Department says that many questions are still unanswered and are the subject of investigation. ‘What kind of knife is that? Where does that come from? “Did he buy the knife?” – the answers to this also help to find out whether the arrested person planned the crime or whether it was a spontaneous attack. The State Security Service of the Karlsruhe Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is responsible for political crimes, is investigating the case. “What worries us most is the question of motive,” the LKA continued. The investigation into the perpetrator’s motives has not yet made any progress.

You can see what happened on the internet
Shortly after the attack, a video of the crime circulated on the Internet: it shows the attacker stabbing several people and bystanders shouting: “Get rid of the knife!” You also see an officer shooting at the attacker. Several police officers then pushed the man to the ground. According to the police, the Public Prosecution Service and the National Criminal Investigation Department, only one shot was fired.

“The pictures are terrible”
The act caused horror throughout Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also shocked. “The photos from Mannheim are terrible,” he wrote on the X platform. “My thoughts are with the victims. Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrator must be severely punished.”

Austrian politics is also responding to action
The Austrian parties have already responded. For FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker, the attack is the result of a “failed European asylum and migration policy” in recent years. It is unacceptable that in a democratic country you have to fear for your life when you hold a demonstration.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer also commented on the incident. “The images of the knife attack in Mannheim are horrific. Incitement and radicalization lead to brutal acts of violence on the streets. Radicals are becoming increasingly radical, in word and deed,” Nehammer explains.