A German politician was stabbed in the city of Mannheim on Tuesday just days after a 29-year-old police officer in the same city died after being stabbed in the face and stomach by an Afghan refugee. In an eerily similar fashion, Heinrich Koch of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was stabbed in the ear and stomach on Tuesday evening. The AfD district association reported that the incident took place near the city's market square just before 11 p.
m. According to Bild , Koch, 62, was assaulted by three individuals after confronting someone who was taking down AfD election posters in the square. He was stabbed and quickly transported to the hospital, where he is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
One suspect was arrested on Tuesday night, and a manhunt is reportedly ongoing for the other two. Mannheim police confirmed that an operation was underway but gave no further details. The AfD state chairman Markus Frohnmaier said he was "shocked and dismayed" by the attack.
Just days ago, a 29-year-old police officer died after a knife attack in the same city. Five others were injured in the stabbing spree. The knifeman in that incident was identified as 25-year-old Sulaiman Ataee.
Ataee moved to Germany from Afghanistan in 2014 when he was just 15 years old. Initially, his asylum request was denied, but he was not deported due to his age, according to Bild. The attack has raised tensions over immigration in the run-up to European elections.
Right-wing act.