Trending 
A newly elected German mayor was critically injured in a stabbing on Tuesday, an attack that Chancellor Friedrich Merz denounced as a “heinous act”.
Iris Stalzer, 57, mayor-elect of Herdecke near Dortmund, was attacked shortly after midday near her home, public broadcaster WDR reported.
“We fear for her life,” Merz wrote on X, calling for a swift investigation into the crime and its motive.
Police have not released details of the incident and did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment. The reason for the assault remains unclear.
Stalzer, a member of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), had only recently been elected mayor of the Ruhr town on 28 September.
SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch confirmed the stabbing, expressing hope for her recovery and saying the party was “deeply saddened” by the attack. The town’s administration also said it was “shocked and dismayed”.
According to Bild, Stalzer was discovered with severe stab wounds to her stomach and back by her 15-year-old adoptive son inside their apartment. The teenager reportedly told police that several men had attacked his mother on the street before she was found. He has since been taken in for questioning.
