6 injured in knife attack in German city of Mannheim. The police shot and injured the attacker

BERLIN (AP) — A man stabbed several members of a group that described itself as opposing “political Islam” in a central square in the German city of Mannheim on Friday, authorities said. Six people were injured, including a police officer who intervened.

Police quickly ended the attack by shooting the attacker, who was also injured.

The attack occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. (09:30 GMT) on Marktplatz, a square in the city center of Mannheim, in the southwest of the country.

The attacker stabbed participants in an event organized by the Pax Europa group, injuring five members of the organization, police and prosecutors said in a statement. The officer was stabbed several times in the head from behind, they added.

Another police officer shot the attacker, ending the attack. The injured were transported to different hospitals, where some of them underwent surgery.

Hours later, authorities said they could not yet provide information on the severity of the injuries. They also indicated that the identity of the attacker had not yet been established.

Pax Europa describes itself as an organization that informs the public about the dangers posed by “the growing spread and influence of political Islam.” Michael Stürzenberger, an anti-Islam activist who is one of its main figures and who has spoken at its events, was among the injured.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said it was up to the investigation to determine the motive for the attack. She said in a statement that “if the investigation reveals an Islamist motive, it would be further confirmation of the great danger posed by the acts of Islamist violence that we have warned against.”

Thomas Strobl, Faeser's regional counterpart in Baden-Württemberg, where Mannheim is located, said that “we cannot yet say anything about the motive of the attacker.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on X that “the images from Mannheim are terrible” and that “violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy.”

Mannheim, a city of around 300,000 inhabitants, is located south of Frankfurt.

The Associated Press