Video shows anti-Islam activist among those stabbed in Germany knife attack

A man with a knife attacked several people in the southwest German city of Mannheim on Friday, leaving seven people injured, according to police. 

The perpetrator was shot by police. He has undergone surgery and is currently not fit for questioning, officials said, and the motive for the attack remains unclear. 

According to various German media reports, the alleged perpetrator is a 25-year-old man from Afghanistan who is said to have immigrated to Germany in 2013 and who reportedly holds a valid residence permit. 

One of those injured in the attack is a police officer who is still fighting for his life, according to reports. 

“His life is still in extreme danger,” said a spokesperson for the State Criminal Police Office on Saturday morning.

Another of those stabbed was a prominent German far-right political activist and critic of Islam, Michael Stürzenberger. 

Videos of the incident shared on social media showed Stürzenberger being attacked by the man in Mannheim’s central market square at about 11:45 a.m. local time. Stürzenberger had been participating in a rally organized by the Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa, which describes itself as “anti-Islamization.”

Stefanie Kizina, a colleague of Stürzenberger’s, told the local reporter for Germany’s Bild newspaper that he was “undergoing an emergency surgery” after being stabbed in the face and leg, but that his injuries were not life-threatening.

Rescue and emergency services, including a medivac helicopter, were deployed to the scene. Information about the conditions of other victims was not available.