Berlin: Germany’s Federal Minister for Interior and Home Affairs, Nancy Faeser, has expressed serious concerns about the dangers posed by “Islamist acts of violence” after a knife-wielding attacker in Mannheim, a city in the country’s southwest, targeted a gathering of the anti-Islam right-wing group, Pax Europa, on Friday. Besides the group’s board member Michael Sturzenberger, a policeman also suffered severe injuries in the attack before the attacker was shot at by the security officials. The chilling video of the crime has now gone viral on social media.
“The knife attack in Mannheim is a terrible crime. The images of the crime are shocking. I hope the victims make a full recovery. My thoughts are also with the seriously injured police officer. My thanks go to the police and rescue services,” Faeser posted on X.
“The investigation will clarify the background to this crime. If the investigation reveals an Islamist motive, then that would be further confirmation of the great danger posed by Islamist acts of violence that we have warned about,” she added.
German news agency DPA quoted a police spokesman describing the injuries as “serious in some cases”. It said that details about the identity of the suspect or his motive behind the attack also remain unclear. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also expressed his shock over the violent incident.
“The images from Mannheim are terrible. Several people have been seriously injured by an attacker,” Scholz wrote in a post on X.
“My thoughts are with the victims. Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrator must be severely punished,” he added.
Germany has been taking a number of legislative, organisational, and social policy measures to fight international terrorism. The country’s government believes that Islamist-motivated international terrorism “is now and will for the foreseeable future” remain the “greatest threat” to security and one of the greatest challenges for the authorities. (IANS)
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