A brutal attack took place in Mannheim on Friday afternoon. A man stabbed several people standing nearby and then injured a police officer. One of the victims is Islam critic Michael Stürzenberger.
These are shocking images: A man stabs several other people with a knife in the middle of Mannheim. He runs after them, waving the knife around. He doesn’t even stop at a police officer.
The knife attack can be seen in numerous videos and photos that were shared on “X” (formerly Twitter). In response to a request from FOCUS-online, the Mannheim police confirmed the attack.
However, the officers did not provide any more precise information about the man who stabbed several people. The Mannheim police have also not commented on the extent of the injuries sustained by those involved.
Nevertheless, the first details about one of the victims of the knife attack are leaking out. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, Islam critic Michael Stürzenberger is said to have been stabbed. The citizens’ movement Pax Europa has now confirmed this in a statement.
Stürzenberger is a member of the group. The 59-year-old is not only active there, but is also involved in the well-known anti-Islam and xenophobic movement “Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West” (PEGIDA).
Stürzenberger is also known as an author on the anti-Islam blog “Politically Incorrect” (PI). From 2013 to 2022, i.e. for almost ten years, he appeared in the report of the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution under “Islamophobia relevant to the protection of the constitution”.
Stürzenberger originally studied political science and history at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich (LMU). However, he did not complete his studies. In the following years he worked as a journalist, including for RTL and Sat1.
Stürzenberger also served as press spokesman for the CSU from 2003 to 2004, from which he has since resigned. The 59-year-old attributes his negative attitude towards Islam to the death of his party colleague Ralph Burkei in the Islamist terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
Stürzenberger’s speeches are therefore often directed against Islam. In 2020, for example, during a speech in Ingolstadt, he accused the religion’s followers of “perverse desire to kill,” according to a report in the “Donaukurier.”
Stürzenberger also wanted to give a speech in Mannheim. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, he had apparently announced “educational work”. Before that, he was allegedly stabbed.
As the police wrote in a press release, “firearms were then used against the attacker.” There is no danger to the public. Rescue and emergency services as well as a rescue helicopter are on site.
