Injured Police Officer from Attack on German Far-Right Rally Dies

A police officer in Mannheim, Germany, who was injured during a knife attack on a far-right rally by an assailant, has died. German officials announced on Sunday, June 3, that the 29-year-old officer underwent emergency surgery immediately after the attack by the assailant and was in an induced coma, but died on Sunday afternoon due to the severity of his injuries. The assailant, a 25-year-old identified as being born in Afghanistan, attacked a far-right group's gathering on June 2, injuring political activist Michael Sturzenberger, a police officer, and four others with knife wounds. The assailant was also injured by police gunfire. According to reports from the German news agency, the injured officer was stabbed multiple times in the back of the head. Images shared on social media from the attack showed a man with a long beard attempting to assault someone. The attack on the far-right rally left six injured. The motive of the 25-year-old assailant, who has lived in Germany since the age of 15, is still unclear. He underwent surgery for his gunshot wounds. Local officials say this man, who lives in the state of Hesse in western Germany, is married with two children, and a murder charge has been filed against him. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed deep sorrow over the officer's death. Winfried Kretschmann, the Prime Minister of the state of Baden-Württemberg, where Mannheim is located, also stated that he was shocked by the news of the officer's death. He emphasized that this horrific crime painfully highlights the often unpredictable dangers that police officers face daily. On Sunday, far-right activists held a rally in Mannheim with police presence. The youth branch of the far-right party 'Alternative for Germany' demonstrated with the slogan 'Reverse immigration would have prevented this crime,' a slogan calling for the return of some Islamic migrants to their home countries. They formed a human chain, calling for 'solidarity against violence, hatred, and chaos.' A group of individuals, while covering their faces, attempted to disrupt this gathering and were arrested by police. Local police reported that 40 people were detained.