Knife Attack at Rightwing Demonstration in Mannheim: German Police Shoot Assailant
German police shot and wounded a man who injured six people in a knife attack on a rightwing demonstration in the southwestern city of Mannheim. Video footage captured the bearded man with glasses attacking people in the city's central Marktplatz. One person was stabbed in the leg, and a police officer attempting to intervene was cut in the neck. Another officer shot the attacker. Among those attacked was Michael Stürzenberger, a German farright activist scheduled to speak at the rally organized by Pax Europa, a rightwing group advocating against the influence of political Islam. A firearm was used against the attacker, whose identity and motives remain unknown. The injured police officer underwent emergency surgery, with updates pending on the severity of injuries. The incident occurred amid the farright Alternative für Deutschland's campaign cautioning about migration from Muslim countries. German officials expressed concerns over the attack, with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warning about Islamist violence. Chancellor Olaf Scholz demanded severe punishment for the assailant. Stürzenberger, a 59-year-old Islam-critical journalist, has affiliations with farright anti-Islam organizations like Pegida.
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