Newly Elected German Mayor Iris Stalzer in Critical Condition After Home Stabbing
Newly elected mayor of Herdecke, Germany, Iris Stalzer, 57, is in intensive care after being stabbed multiple times at her home on Tuesday. Authorities called the incident a “serious violent attack”.
According to reports, Stalzer managed to get back into her house before being found. She was airlifted to hospital.
Broadcaster WDR said the Social Democrat politician was stabbed in the neck and abdomen. The area around her home has been cordoned off and forensic teams are searching for evidence.
Prosecutors and police issued a joint statement saying they are looking “at all options” and “close family involvement cannot be ruled out at the moment”. German agency DPA reported Stalzer’s 15 and 17 year old children were taken in for questioning.
Bild newspaper quoted investigators as saying her son told police multiple men attacked his mother, but this has not been confirmed by authorities.
Stalzer, a long time labour lawyer and well known local politician, was elected mayor and was due to take office in November after defeating a conservative incumbent with the support of the Greens.
The attack has been condemned by national leaders. Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a “quick and thorough investigation”.
The case has brought back painful memories of previous attacks on German politicians. In 2019 conservative regional president Walter Lübcke was murdered by a far right extremist, while Henriette Reker, then a Cologne mayoral candidate, survived a knife attack in 2015.
A recent study found six out of ten German politicians have experienced violence, and one in five say it has made them reluctant to appear in public.
The attack on Stalzer has reignited the debate about the growing hostility and threats faced by public officials in Germany and the dangers of public service.
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Newly Elected German Mayor Iris Stalzer in Critical Condition After Home Stabbing