Major operation in Mannheim
Man stabs people – political motive?
Police officers are deployed on Mannheim’s market square. Photo
© Rene Priebe/dpa
In downtown Mannheim, a man attacked several people with a knife. Among those injured was Michael Stürzenberger, a leading figure in the Pax Europa movement. A police officer’s life is in critical condition.
A man with a knife on the market square in Mannheim injured six people, including a police officer. His life was in critical condition after the attack on Friday afternoon and he had to undergo surgery.
According to the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa (BPE), the attack was aimed at their meeting on the market square. According to BPE treasurer Stefanie Kizina, board member Michael Stürzenberger was also injured in the attack. According to the public prosecutor’s office, police and state criminal police office in Mannheim, five members of the movement were injured, and the attacker also stabbed a police officer several times from behind in the head area. Another police officer shot the attacker, who was also injured.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) spoke of a terrible crime. “The images of this brutal act of violence are shocking.” Faeser explained that the investigations would clarify the background of the crime, in particular the background and motives of the perpetrator. “If the investigations reveal an Islamist motive, then that would be a further confirmation of the great danger posed by Islamist acts of violence, which we have warned about.”
BPE treasurer Stefanie Kizina told the “Bild” newspaper: “The attack happened before the event even started, it must have been planned well in advance.” A spokeswoman for the city of Mannheim confirmed that the organization had registered an event for Friday morning. Regarding Stürzenberger’s injuries, Kizina said: “He was hit in the leg and face and will undergo emergency surgery. His life is apparently not in danger.”
The 59-year-old is one of the movement’s leading figures. On its website, the BPE makes no distinction between Islam and Islamism – it attributes “aggressive contempt and intolerance” to both, among other things. In its 2022 report on Stürzenberger and the Bavarian regional association of the BPE, the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution wrote that there were “actual indications” that they were pursuing “anti-Islamic efforts relevant to the protection of the constitution” “that are aimed at abolishing religious freedom for Muslims”. Stürzenberger and the BPE no longer appear in the agency’s most recent report for 2023. According to the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, however, this is only because they are less active. Both Stürzenberger and the BPE Bavarian regional association would continue to be monitored.
Video on the Internet shows knife attack
Shortly after the attack, a video of the crime circulated on the Internet: It shows a man stabbing several people at the event. Bystanders shout: “Put the knife away.” The video also shows an officer shooting the attacker. Several police officers then pin him to the ground. According to the police, the suspected perpetrator was also injured. Mannheim’s market square is located in the center of the city of 300,000 inhabitants in the north of Baden-Württemberg.
Many questions remain unanswered: the police were initially unable to say how many people were injured. They were taken to hospitals. A spokesman described the injuries as “serious in some cases”. The State Security Department of the Karlsruhe Public Prosecutor’s Office has taken over the investigation. The State Criminal Police Office and the Mannheim Police Headquarters are also involved in the investigation.
After the incident, the market square was cordoned off with red and white tape. Screens were erected and a nearby tram station was closed. Rescue workers and a rescue helicopter were deployed to treat the injured. Investigators secured evidence.
Attack triggers dismay
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was shocked. “The images from Mannheim are terrible,” he wrote on the X platform. “Several people were seriously injured by an attacker. My thoughts are with the victims. Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrator must be severely punished.”
Mayor Christian Specht (CDU) was also deeply affected: “This brutal attack has shaken and shocked us, it has left us speechless,” he said. His thoughts are with the injured police officer and the other victims. At the same time, he called on people not to speculate about the background, but instead to wait for the results of the investigation.