A newly elected mayor was found with multiple life-threatening stab wounds in western Germany, daily newspaper Bild reported on Tuesday.
Iris Stalzer was elected mayor of Herdecke on 28 September as a member of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior party in Germany’s conservative-led national government. German news agency dpa, citing unidentified security sources, reported that her son found her at home with life-threatening injuries and several stabbing wounds to her stomach and back.
Mayor-elect told son she was attacked by multiple men
Stalzer told her son that she had been attacked by several men in the street and managed to drag herself home. Police said only that a large operation was underway in Herdecke.
Chancellor and party leaders express hope for recovery
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on social media that “we fear for the life of mayor-elect Iris Stalzer and hope for her full recovery.” Matthias Miersch, leader of the Social Democrats’ parliamentary group in Berlin, told reporters that “we heard a few minutes ago that newly elected mayor Iris Stalzer was stabbed in Herdecke” and “we hope that she survives this terrible act.”
Attack motive unclear as investigation continues
Miersch added that “we can’t say anything at the moment about the background.” Stalzer, who beat a candidate from Merz’s centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) in a runoff vote to win election, is due to take office on 1 November.
Herdecke is a town of about 23,000 people in western Germany’s Ruhr region, between the cities of Hagen and Dortmund. Stalzer’s website states she is 57 and married with two teenage children. It states she has spent almost her whole life in Herdecke and has worked as a lawyer specialising in labour law.
The motive for the attack remains unclear.
(With information from Euronews)
