Police: German mayor critically injured after stabbing attack

Oct. 7 (UPI) — Iris Stalzer, the newly elected mayor of the German city of Herdecke, was stabbed on Tuesday, German police said.

Police said talzer, a member of Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party elected in September as mayor of Herdecke, was reportedly stabbed in an attack near her home in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, according to the BBC and CNN.

Stalzer, 57, was airlifted to hospital.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz called it a “heinous” act.

“We fear for the life of the mayor-elect, Iris Stalzer, and hope for a full recovery,: Merz, leader of the country’s Christian Democratic Union party, said on social media.

According to local police, a major investigation is underway to determine what led to the violent attack on Stalzer.

However, no additional details were given.

Unconfirmed reports said Stalzer’s two teen children were inside the home when the attack took place.

Meanwhile, the German SPD stated its party members were in a state of deep shock.

A rise in right-wing and anti-Semitic crimes in Germany in recent years included several deaths, including conservative politician Walter Lubcke.