German police officer injured in knife attack in Mannheim dies – DW – 02/06/2024

A German police officer died from his injuries after being stabbed multiple times while trying to keep someone away from a knife attack in Mannheim on Friday, police and prosecutors said in a joint statement on Sunday evening.

The 29-year-old police officer was hospitalized in a coma after the attack.

“He underwent emergency surgery immediately after the crime and was placed in an induced coma, but succumbed to his serious injuries late in the afternoon of Sunday, June 2,” the joint statement said. “We mourn a police officer who gave his life for our safety.”

What do we know about the suspect?

A 25-year-old man was filmed stabbing the police officer and five members of an anti-Islam group calling itself PAX Europa at a city center stand. One of the injured was Michael Stürzenberger, a member of the group's advisory board.

Investigators earlier said the suspect was an Afghan citizen who had lived in Germany for about a decade. He had no criminal record and had not attracted the attention of law enforcement in the past, they said.

The suspect was eventually shot and killed by police. As of Saturday evening, he was alive but in the hospital and was not in condition to be questioned, according to investigators. As a result, they said, his motivations and reason for his attack required further investigation.

Politicians pay tribute, police union warns of 'everyday' violence

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was “deeply dismayed” to learn of the officer’s death.

“His dedication to the safety of all deserves the utmost respect,” Scholz said.

The Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, where Mannheim is located, Winfried Kretschmann, said the news “shocks me deeply” and offered his condolences to the victim's family, friends and colleagues.

“This horrific crime brings painfully before our eyes the often incalculable risks that police officers face on a daily basis,” Kretschmann said. “We owe them the greatest respect and reverence as a society.”

Interior Minister Thomas Strobl said that “these are times when the world seems to stand still.”

“He gave his life because he intervened to protect other people,” Strobl said of the 29-year-old police officer. Other regional politicians were quick to pay similar tributes.

The head of the national section of one of Germany's main police unions expressed not only his sadness but also his frustration.

“The violence we face every day is merciless, brutal, inhumane and often deadly,” said Ralf Kusterer.

Mannheim police back in action in city center amid rival rallies in response

Meanwhile, police were again present in force in central Mannheim on Sunday, amid at least three public protests in response to the attack.

A cross-party organization had called for the formation of a human chain across much of the city center against violence and hatred, attracting between 800 and 1,000 people, according to police.

At the same time, the youth of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party organized a demonstration of around 150 people on the market square under the slogan “remigration would have prevented this crime”, in reference to the preferred term of the party to designate forced repatriation of people with immigrant backgrounds.

Left-wing anti-fascist activists also showed up at a spontaneous counter-protest that was not previously recorded. Police could be seen confronting these protesters and surrounding or “surrounding” them, with law enforcement claiming this was to prevent them from attacking the far-right protesters.

“Around 3:15 p.m., a group of people, some hiding their faces, attempted to disrupt the gathering in the market square and violently advance towards them. Some of these people were armed with torches. The attack on the market square “The market was prevented by rapid police intervention. In this context, it was necessary to use pepper spray,” Mannheim police said about the incident.

Police said they had collected the personal information of all 40 people involved in the counter-protest. One of them was under investigation for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

msh/ab (AFP, AFP)