Germany: Far-Right AfD Candidate Attacked in Mannheim

A suspect was arrested after a local council candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was attacked with a knife, police and prosecutors said on Wednesday.

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The candidate was attacked after confronting an individual who was trying to remove an election poster on Tuesday, officials said. The perpetrator injured the man with a carpet knife.

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Mannheim AfD councilor Jörg Finkler said his 62-year-old friend and colleague, who was taken to hospital, had suffered injuries to the ear and stomach.

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Police arrested a 25-year-old suspect who made a brief escape attempt and was said to have exhibited signs of mental illness as he was detained.

According to the AfD, the person attacked was Heinrich Koch, who is placed third on the party list for the Mannheim city council election on Sunday.

The alleged incident comes just days after another stabbing attack in the same city that resulted in the death of a police officer. The incident happened at a rally held by anti-Islamic group Pax Europa.

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