German police officer still in critical condition after knife attack

The condition of a German police officer remains serious. He suffered life-threatening injuries when an assailant armed with a knife attacked a meeting of the anti-Islamic right-wing extremist group Pax Europa in Mannheim, police said on Saturday.

The police shot the as yet unknown attacker after he injured six people on Friday. According to security sources, he suffered life-threatening injuries, as reported by the dpa. Anti-terror investigators have taken over the case.

Five participants in the Pax Europa rally were injured and a police officer also suffered serious injuries when the attacker stabbed him several times in the back of the head, authorities said. All of the injured were taken to hospital, and some required emergency surgery.

The perpetrator was not yet responsive after an operation, so an interrogation has not been possible so far, a police spokesman said on Saturday morning.

The police have not yet identified the man.

According to media reports, he is a 25-year-old Afghan citizen who lives in Germany.

A video of the attack on the market square in the southwest of the city circulated on the Internet. It shows a man stabbing several people at the Pax Europa event. He can also be seen stabbing the police officer.

In the video, people can be heard shouting: “Put the knife away!”

The video also shows another police officer shooting at the attacker. Several police officers then hold him on the ground.