Several injured in ‘terrible’ knife attack in Germany, says Scholz

Several people were injured in a knife attack in Mannheim on Friday, police said. Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the “terrible” incident.

A man attacked and injured several people with a knife on Mannheim’s market square at around 11:35 a.m., police said.

The police then shot the attacker, who was also injured.

German media reported that one of the victims of the attack, which occurred just days before the EU elections, was a prominent critic of Islam.

“The extent and severity of the injuries are not yet known,” police said. There is no further danger to the public.

“The pictures from Mannheim are terrible,” Scholz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrators must be severely punished.”

According to several media reports, one of the victims was Michael Stürzenberger, a German right-wing extremist activist and blogger.

Stürzenberger was due to speak at a rally in Mannheim on Friday organized by Pax Europa, a campaign group against radical Islam.

The group announced on its website that Stürzenberger and several Pax Europa volunteers were injured in a knife attack at the rally.

Read more on FRANCE 24 English

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